


Moving in Shadow

by Zerrat



Category: Final Fantasy XIII
Genre: Action, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Superheroes/Superpowers, Angst, Betrayal, Community: fang_lightning, F/F, Femslash, Superpowers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-01-04
Updated: 2013-02-16
Packaged: 2017-11-22 19:35:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 39,658
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/613486
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zerrat/pseuds/Zerrat
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Defenders are Eden City's foremost group of superheroes. It's a tough balance to divide your time between your day job and countering everything from muggers to supervillians. </p><p>Lately though, that balancing act has gotten much harder for Detective Claire "Lightning" Farron, as her teammate and friend, Highwind, has thrown her support behind the supervillain Barthandelus.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Burning Your Bridges

**Author's Note:**

> Greetings all! Welcome to _Moving in Shadow_ , a superhero-themed AU of Final Fantasy XIII. I am aware that another of these beasts exists ([Superhero](http://www.fanfiction.net/s/8140010/1/Superhero) by [Raziel12](http://www.fanfiction.net/u/151147/Raziel12) \- if you haven't checked it out yet, certainly go do so!) however any similarities between that fic and this one will be pretty much entirely coincidental, as unfortunately I've not had a great deal of time to really sit down and read past the first chapter. 
> 
> The 'superpowers' prompt was selected from [a list](http://fang-lightning.livejournal.com/35095.html) over on the [fang_lightning community on LiveJournal](http://fang-lightning.livejournal.com/). I was tempted by quite a few, but in the end my immense love of comics and superheroes won out! I'm a big DC fan.
> 
> The fic is almost complete, and I'm posting this thing a chapter per week. 
> 
> There will be canonical character death and a major character death in chapter two, which serves as a part of an origin story.

_**Defender Injured as Ramuh Storms City Power Plant** _

_Defender speedster Lightning was injured yesterday in an attack on the Eden City power plant, in a move by Ramuh designed to cripple the city's power grid. Authorities say the Defender has stabilised, and is currently under observation at Eden Central hospital._

_While swift evacuations meant there were no civilians casualties in the attack, when the Defenders intervened in the situation, Ramuh's alterations to the city's power grid rebounded on the speedster. The effects of Ramuh's machine are currently unknown, however scientists at the power plant have advised they will move quickly to resolve the matter._

_Meanwhile, the Defenders are remaining optimistic on the speedster's condition._

_"Light is going to be okay," Frost Giant told the press in an impromptu meeting outside the hospital yesterday afternoon. "She's thunder elemental and so was whatever Ramuh did. She just got a little too much juice."_

_CONTINUED ON PAGE 13_

###

_**Magical Master Ramuh Found Dead** _

_Supervillain Ramuh has been found dead in his hideout when authorities acted on an anonymous tip off on his location._

_Ramuh, whose attack on Eden City's western power plant was ultimately foiled by quick intervention from the Defenders earlier this week, had been on the run from the Eden City Police Department since the attack._

_An inside source has advised that the ECPD is treating the death as suspicious._

###

_**Explosion at Bodhum District Prison** _

_Bodhum District Prison was rocked by explosions believed to have been caused by faulty gas mains yesterday afternoon, leading wardens and officials to scramble to evacuate the prison and surrounding areas._

_"At approximately 4pm, an explosion occurred in the north eastern cell block of the prison," Head Warden Gerad Watt said in a press release. "It is unclear how or why this has occurred. Further investigation will be undertaken to ensure we find those answers as quickly as possible."_

_Watt was unable to advise on any injuries sustained by inmates of the prison, or if all inmates were successfully evacuated._

_CONTINUED ON PAGE 16_

###

_**Shock Defection!** _

_In an alarming twist to the events that transpired during yesterday's explosion at Bodhum District Prison, video footage has been leaked that suggests that the long-time Defender known as Highwind was responsible for the blast that killed three inmates and injured dozens more._

_The video shows Highwind entering the facility to speak with magic-master Galenth Dysley, more widely known as Barthandelus. Highwind is shown speaking with Barthandelus, before vanishing with him as the prison explosion triggers._

_Eden's Defenders have been caught flat-footed by the footage, and it remains unclear as to what Highwind's purpose was in visiting Barthandelus at all._

_Highwind's actions have baffled Eden's authorities, and speculation is rife on where the Defender's allegiances now lie._

_Commissioner Rosch was unavailable for comment today, however we were able to speak with Detective Claire Farron. Detective Farron, the ECPD's liaison for the Defenders and who has made her support of vigilante initiatives well-known in the past, advised caution._

_"Jumping to conclusions is the worst thing we can do," Detective Farron said outside the ECPD Headquarters last night. "Highwind has helped save Eden countless times. These are not normal individuals we're dealing with here, and there could be something else going on. There has to be more to this."_

_CONTINUED ON PAGE 3_

###

_**ECPD Link Highwind to Villain Murder** _

_In a surprise move by the Eden City Police Department, Defender heavy hitter Highwind has been linked to the death of supervillain Ramuh. Sources inside the ECPD claim that an issue of a warrant for Highwind's arrest over the matter will come in a matter of days._

_Ramuh, a villain from the Ragnarok era, was found dead by ECPD last week, and his death was considered suspicious. The investigation into his death has been ongoing, and today's revelations have come at a time when there have been serious questions being asked of Highwind's role in the explosion at Eden District Prison earlier this week._

_The Defenders have declined to comment on the latest allegations._

###

_**Transcript of Defenders press conference** _

_Frost Giant: Look, I'm not going to debate with you all on what it **looks** like-_

_Reporter: Surely you can see why the public is so worried about Highwind's actions. She has the power to level the whole city -_

_Firefly: Then why hasn't she gone and done it already? If she's a traitor and a villain - and I'm not making bets either way at this point, mind you - then why has she made no move? Think on that for a while._

_Reporter: If she's in cohorts with Barthandelus, then she's likely involved in a plan of his._

_Lightning: Maybe that's what it looks like. You'd better have some evidence before you go around slinging mud like that, though._

_Reporter: Then you admit she is a possible danger to not just the citizens of Eden, but to Gran Pulse?_

_Lightning: I said nothing of the sort._

_Firefly: Just let it go, Lightning. If she shows up again and she is a danger, we will be ready. We'll take her down, if that is what's needed. That is what we've agreed._

_Reporter: What is being done to find her? What measures are you taking to eliminate the threat **before** the lives are lost and millions of dollars’ worth of property is destroyed? _

_Frost Giant: We've got a handle on the situation, don't you worry. Seriously. Everyone needs to calm the hell down, even you, Lightning. Highwind will be back, and we'll find out that it's been a big misunderstanding. That's all._

###

**_Transcript of news reel_ **

_In a move that has shocked Eden, Defender heavy-hitter Highwind has assisted supervillain Barthandelus in a brutal attack on Luca Engineering._

_There had been some question of Highwind's allegiances since her apparent team-up with Barthandelus in last week's prison break, and while the Defenders have remained optimistic on her motives, it appears their faith has been for naught._

_The attack on Luca Engineering began early this morning in a tense hostage situation that only soured further when speedster Defender Lightning ignored direct orders from Commissioner Rosch not to intervene and bypassed the line set up by ECPD._

_The resulting battle left dozens injured and caused countless millions in property damage..._

###

**_Enough! Commissioner Rosch Issues Warrant for Highwind's Arrest_ **

_In direct response to yesterday's brazen attack on Luca Engineering, ECPD Commissioner Yaag Rosch has issued an arrest warrant for ex-Defender Highwind, stating today that he could no longer stand by the one-time hero._

_The move has been welcomed by victim advocates._

_"It doesn't matter what else she did in the past. Now she's turned, she's hurt people, she's a menace and needs to be treated as one," a spokesman for the advocates said yesterday. "The Defenders need to wake up."_

_The Defenders, meanwhile, have been unavailable for comment on the matter._

_CONTINUED ON PAGE 4_

###

Fang was in a dark mood as she suited up in the cramped confines of her room aboard Barthandelus' airship, but Jihl Nabaat was watching her like a hawk and she knew better than to let Nabaat gain ground. She buckled on her scorched and scratched up dragon armour - souvenirs from her scuffle with her old team mates at Luca Engineering - while carefully schooling her features clear of emotion.

She brushed off the slick, angular plates of Highwind's armour - dragon scales, her mind supplied dutifully - and did not let her fingers stray on the roughly patched section at the join of her hip. Lightning had really done a number on her during that last brawl two days ago, as the other woman had tried to shove a steel pipe straight through one of the weak spots in her armour. 

The only reason Fang was still alive was because of Snow’s misplaced sense of heroism and duty, even to traitors like herself. He'd frozen Lightning's blow, slowing a strike that was travelling at impossible speeds to a halt in an instant. Fang's hip had been bruised, but she'd survived and kicked Lightning through the opposite wall.

Forget Vanille or Sazh, or even Snow - _Lightning_ had been the one who had taken Fang's betrayal the worst, had taken it so personally that she would have even been willing to throw away that one golden rule that kept them off Eden’s shit list. 

_Don't kill._

Fang tried to ignore the bitter feeling of loss sitting in her stomach, because at least she'd gotten what she'd gone to Luca Engineering for. She applied her domino mask with perhaps a little more force than was needed, donned her dragon's helmet and finally turned her attention to where Nabaat was standing, still watching her with unnerving intensity.

"Enjoying the view?" Fang asked, crossing her arms against her chest as she trusted in Highwind's dark armour to do the intimidating for her. "Or doesn't Barthandelus trust me, even after my little show at Luca's?"

Nabaat's eyes narrowed. "You puzzle me. Why the change of heart?"

Fang had to admit that there was one good thing about Nabaat - she didn't mince around with her words. Fang shrugged easily. 

"Sick of cleaning up the garbage, maybe. All work, no play, no rewards while I'm shoved off to the side while idiots like Frost Giant and Lightning get the praise and adoration." Fang smiled slightly. "Isn't that enough of a reason?"

"Barthandelus may buy your _reasons_ enough to play your game, but I am not so easily misled. If there is one thing I know, it's that the hearts of men - and women - do not change so easily. Nor so quickly."

"Then you have to wonder how long I've been playing pretend with the hero club." Fang made to brush past Nabaat, but the woman's hand shot out, shoving Fang back half a pace. Fang allowed herself to be pushed back, letting Nabaat believe herself to be in control of the situation.

"She is likely to be out there today." Nabaat's smile was neutral, but Fang wondered if she was enjoying all of this. If Nabaat was half the sadist Fang gave her credit for, of course she would be enjoying it. 

"Geogirl is not a problem," Fang told her roughly, her jaw tightening. 

"You know that's not who I'm speaking of." Jihl spread her hands. "I told you. If there is one thing I know, it is the hearts of men and women and the ties that bind them."

Fang exhaled sharply. "It doesn't matter. I've got a job to do, or did you forget that?"

"Of course not. In order to create the device you propose, we need the artefact we've identified and we need it immediately." Finally Nabaat stood aside, and as Fang made her way down to the dispatch bay, she spoke again. "But remember - I will be watching, even if Barthandelus is not."

###

It was typical that nobody thought to raise the alarm before the blaze had gotten out of hand, Detective Claire Farron thought with just a hint of ire as she joined the other patrons of the pizza bar to stare up at the threatening, dark smoke cloud. It rose through the sky from across the city, probably from the Eden City Museum, if she had to guess.

Right on cue, her comm. link buzzed in her ear.

 _"Eden City Museum is going up in flames, and I've gotta say, it looks like a pretty serious blaze from where I'm sitting."_ Snow didn't sound worried though, so Claire supposed he was expecting the usual search and rescue efforts. _"Hope and I are en route and Sazh is gonna meet us there, but..."_

"I got it." Claire darted back to her table, dumping a handful of bills on the table top before grabbing the last slice of pizza off the plate, and she was out of there before Snow ended the call. 

So much for stopping and taking the time to refuel, Claire noted with a silent sigh as she wove her way through the crowds that had stopped to stare at the dark cloud spreading across the sky. She knew she'd have enough energy to sustain her through a quick fire rescue, but then she'd be down to her reserves, and with metabolism like hers, that was never a good thing.

Provided that there were no surprises when she got there, Claire figured she'd be okay as she ducked into a deserted alleyway. She made quick work of suiting up, and Lightning burst from the alleyway's entrance still pulling her cowl down over her head. She reached out instinctively for her internalised thunder spell, and she accelerated across town to the Eden City Museum. 

The world was a blur of colour and flashes of lightning arcing across her vision, and just as she hit the upper limits of the speed that was safe to use in Eden, she skidded to a halt outside the burning building, the acrid smoke suddenly filling her lungs.

Lightning was the first on the scene, but then again, she always was.

Snow hadn't been kidding - it was a hell of a fire going on there, and a part of Lightning wondered if they'd be able to save the building if Firefly or Frost Giant didn't get there soon to control the flames. There were still people fleeing the Museum, and there was no sign of any arriving fire crews, so Lightning didn't hesitate as she again tapped into her thunder magic. 

Red light and incredible heat assaulted her senses, and Lightning felt her eyes begin to water. The air was scorched and thin, so she had to make the most of what time she had left to get the building clear.

Lightning did a quick circuit of the building at the highest speed that she dared to use without risking a backdraft, details blurring past her as she spotted a group of tourists that had gotten trapped behind a display. She grabbed a hold on the collars of the group – they had long since passed out from smoke inhalation, so they didn’t protest the rough treatment – before sprinting back out with them and setting them down at a safer distance from the Museum. 

She shielded her eyes with her forearm as she looked back at the building, feeling her head begin to swim with a queasy combination of physical exhaustion and lack of proper oxygen. She could have sworn she saw someone else in there, but she hadn't been sure and then she'd seen the tourists-

Lightning flashed back through the gaping doors and into the red and darkness beyond, and in the handful of seconds it had taken her to deposit the three civilians outside, things had only gotten worse inside. If there was anyone left, Lightning decided as she darted to the side of where the upper floor was beginning to cave in on her, then they likely weren't going to be for much longer. 

It had been in a second floor display that she'd seen them, right, she was sure of it. She blurred toward where the stairwell door had been smashed open, darting over the super-heated concrete stairwell before bursting out. The dark figure that she'd only barely glimpsed as she'd whipped past the first time was exiting through the next stairwell, something tucked under their arm.

She recognised the dark, angular dragon's armour and wing-like cape immediately.

_Highwind._

Lightning froze, and then snarled as she tore on after Highwind, heedless of the floor collapsing beneath her and the way her head was spinning sickeningly. Highwind somehow made it to the roof of the museum before Lightning did, but that didn't matter as Lightning launched herself at Highwind's retreating back.

Lightning had stuck her neck out for Fang, had defended her against the media that had been howling for her blood, and had convinced the rest of them that genetics meant little and that there was no such thing as a destiny that couldn't be fought. She'd been friends with Fang, she'd trusted her, she'd wanted _more_ , and then Luca Engineering had happened and the evidence had been irrefutable. 

Fang had betrayed them, and Lightning's anger hadn't ebbed in the days since. She'd be damned if Fang continued to make a fool of her.

She impacted with Highwind's back hard, sending them both sprawling, and as Highwind groaned, Lightning had already picked herself up and snapped her foot out to impact with Highwind's chin. She scored an easy strike, but that wasn’t going to be enough to take down someone like Highwind. Lightning flashed forward in a quick combination, ducking Highwind's strikes and sliding beneath her blocks as she hammered the other woman with all she had. 

Highwind was a traitor, Lightning told herself as she circled Fang at lightning-speed, arcs of her thunder magic curling around her. Highwind had to go down -

The other woman's hands shot out - instinct, Lightning decided savagely, because there was no way Fang could have seen it coming at the speeds Lightning was moving. Fang's gauntleted hands caught Lightning's boot, pulling Lightning forward and off balance before slamming her fist into Lightning's gut. 

Lightning gasped as Highwind's incredible strength knocked her across the museum's rooftop, and as she impacted painfully with the building's sheltered stairwell, she wondered why Fang had held back that much. She'd seen the other woman rip steel cables in half, she had no need to toy around with Lightning like that -

Gravel crunched under boots as Highwind approached her. Lightning tried to surge to her feet, but her legs didn't seem to want to support her weight and they collapsed under her.

Highwind reached down and curled a fist in the front of Lightning's streamlined suit, lifting Lightning's weight easily with just the one arm. Highwind's sharp features and dark beauty were outlined in rosy red light and soot from the fire, and Lightning felt raw emotion swell up, dizzyingly intense. Why had Fang betrayed them? She funnelled her hurt into anger, trying to find the strength to break herself free. 

"Lightning," Highwind said mildly, and as if to punctuate the word, she shoved Lightning hard against the hot brick wall again. "If I'd any sense, I'd have sent you straight through the wall, just like last time."

Pain exploded in Lightning's back, and she grabbed at Highwind's gauntlets to test the woman's grip. Of course, Lightning had known that it would be no good - physically, Fang was the strongest person Lightning had ever encountered, and now that she'd been caught, Lightning was at a serious disadvantage.

"Regretting your choice already?" Lightning spat, blinking rapidly to clear her swimming head. Sweet Eden she was almost tapped out.

"Not even a little." Fang's lips curved into a smile as she leaned in close, and her gloved fingers brushed some soot from Lightning's cheek with a carefulness that was strange. Fang's fingers made an odd gesture as she pulled them back, and suddenly there was _no air._ Lightning clawed at the other woman's arm, gasping for oxygen that was no longer there. 

Fang watched her fight against it, her expression soft. "When it comes to you, Lightning, I've no regrets at all."

Lightning's grip wrapped around Fang's armoured bicep shakily. With the last of her energy, she sent a jolt of thunder magic through her fingertips and into Fang's flesh, and the other woman swore violently and dropped her to the ground. Air rushed back to Lightning's lungs, and she choked on the bitter smoke.

_Not much improvement..._

Lightning's vision was growing dangerously dark, and Highwind seemed content to just leave her to die on the burning roof for her trick. She tried to crawl to her feet as Highwind walked away from her toward a small airship that had swept down from the sky. Fang was just going to leave again, and that hurt worse than anything. At least if she could bring Fang in, Lightning could find out _why_ Fang had betrayed her -

Fang vanished, and as Lightning reached out for her retreating back, the world faded away into darkness and static.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More on the mechanics of superpowers and how they work will follow in later chapters, but we do have Lightning as a speedster! This seemed like a really obvious choice, given her chosen name, one of her strongest elements as a ravager and then linking that to the Flash's motif and the usual manifestation of his power when using the speed force. Lightning's origin story will be covered in this fic.
> 
> We also have Fang as Highwind, with her major powers being super strength and aero magic. Without giving too much away... Fang's origins are most like Superboy's, but that won't be covered during this particular fic. Maybe in a sequel. Fang has left the Defenders seemingly for Barthandelus, but one wonders what drove her to such actions.
> 
> I'll post my notes on the other characters in the next few chapters.


	2. Flash Bright and then Fade Away

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Years ago, there were two girls from Bodhum, each with very different ways of dealing with their grief, and each with very different paths to walk.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Canonical character death and major character death occurs in this chapter. This is Lightning's origin story, and the formation of her beliefs and driving force in this 'verse. 
> 
> I also wanted to say a huge thank you to all those people who commented on and kudos'd the first chapter - you people own.

It was mid-afternoon when Serah burst into Claire's room, completely winded from her run from Bodhum's beaches and still covered in sand. Claire lowered her text book and gave her sister a look that she hoped would accurately convey her disgust - both at the fact that Serah was getting sand all over her floor, and at the fact that Serah had no homework and Claire did.

Life was not fair.

 _"Claire,"_ Serah gasped out as she darted over to Claire's desk and tugged at her sister's tshirt insistently. "You have _got_ to see them!"

"Got to see _what?"_ Claire asked, maybe a little too sharply, but Serah didn't seem to notice.

"They washed up on the beach during the storm last night - come _on,_ you have to come before someone else finds them!" Serah tugged at Claire's arm again, apparently not to be dissuaded. 

Claire looked back at the geography text book, and then back to her sister's bright smile. She knew she was going to regret relenting, but...

"Fine," Claire grumbled, letting herself be tugged to her feet. "But we've gotta be quick. I promised that I would get this done, and you know what our parents are like. If they come back tomorrow night and find I've done nothing..."

"Five minutes, tops." Serah crossed her heart once and ran out the door, and Claire had to sprint to catch up to her before Serah reached the end of the street. 

Serah didn't slow down even when Claire finally joined her, and she shot Claire a huge grin as she moved to cut across the windswept sand dunes and head for the rock pools beyond the old pier. She skidded to a halt in front of the pool closest to the water's retreating edge, and as Claire approached, a little out of breath from the run, she had to wonder what had washed up. 

Claire had been expecting an octopus or some brightly-coloured shellfish, but when Serah plunged her hand up to her elbows into the water and pulled out _something,_ Claire was pretty sure she was never going to underestimate Serah's beach finds ever again.

The two gems clutched in Serah's hands reflected the morning sunlight off of their faceted surfaces, and Claire silently accepted the stone that Serah held out for her. It was pink, and it seemed to be cut into the shape of a blooming rose, and when she stole a glance over at the one Serah was drying off in the hem of her skirt, she caught a flash of brilliant blue.

"Who do you think they belong to?" Claire asked as she crouched by Serah, looking back down to the stone resting in the palm of her own hand. 

"They just washed up, like a message in a bottle." Serah looked even younger than her twelve years when she added with a grin, "Or pirates' treasure."

Claire snorted, because if the stones were real, then somebody would have to be looking for them. Her fingertip traced the delicate edges of the crystal rose, and she suddenly felt indecisive. What had they found?

"What do you think we should do?" Serah asked softly, her smile suddenly gone, and Claire's palm tingled just a little, under where the stone touched her skin.

 _Hand them into the police,_ a part of Claire's mind whispered, while another part told her to hold onto them forever. 

"We don't tell anyone," Claire decided abruptly, fixing Serah with the most serious stare she could muster. "Who knows how long these things have been tumbling around the ocean? The owner is probably long gone. If we hear about someone missing them, then we'll go hand them in."

Claire really wished she didn't sound like she was trying to convince _herself,_ too, but after a few moments Serah slowly nodded. 

"We were meant to find them," Serah added, her big grin returning finally. "It feels... Right."

Claire didn't quite see it that way, and even holding onto the crystal rose felt like an act of dishonesty, but she climbed to her feet and stuck it in her pocket anyhow. The stone had felt warm to the touch, and it could have just been her imagination, but her skin had started to prickle with the sensation of pins and needles.

"Don't tell anyone that we have them," Claire said, thinking of their parents, as they began to make their way back along the beach, towards home. Serah had nodded, and as far as Claire had been concerned, that had been the end of it. 

Of course, that had been before the stone had vanished during the night while Claire had slept, and when she'd rolled out of bed and sleepily searched her clothing and drawers for it, she'd come up empty handed. She'd rocked back on her heels, frowning as she'd emptied out the bottom drawer entirely, and then the skin of her chest had _crawled._

Claire's entire body had gone cold, and she'd pulled off her shirt to find a black mark, etched into her skin. Her eyes went wide.

She was fifteen and had woken up with a tattoo she knew _nothing_ about. Blind panic engulfed her, and she barged out of her room and into Serah's in the space of a few heartbeats. Serah was up, oddly enough, sitting on her bed and looking pale as she clutched at her upper arm. Claire could see sprawling blackness in the gaps between Serah's fingers, and immediately she knew. 

"You too?" Serah asked, and at Claire's shaky nod, she relaxed a little. "What are we going to _do?"_

Claire wanted to ask why _she_ needed to make the choice when it was her mistake that had landed them in the mess in the first place, but instead she took a long breath. 

"Nothing. We do nothing for now." At Serah's wide-eyed look, Claire settled her shoulders, trying to look more certain. "Maybe they'll fade, or wash off. Maybe it's nothing."

"Maybe..." Serah echoed dubiously, hugging herself and frowning at the crumpled sheets at the foot of her bed. "They're going to freak, you know."

No need to ask who Serah meant by 'they', and Claire sat on the edge of Serah's bed, chewing her lower lip.

"If they find out, I'll deal with them. They don't get back until tonight anyway." Claire tried to smile, but the skin of her chest felt like it was moving, and she swallowed. They wouldn't be able to hide them for long from their mother, _that_ Claire was certain of. Serah was quiet, probably thinking much the same thing. What had Claire gotten them into? So much for protecting her younger sister…

As Claire pushed herself up and off the bed, Serah sighed and flopped backwards to stare at the roof.

"It'll be okay," Serah said quietly, and Claire nodded as she left the room.

###

It was later that afternoon, and Claire had resumed her studies in an attempt put the mark on her chest out of her mind. Claire had been staring at the same math problem for the past ten minutes though, so she couldn't say she was having any success when she heard Serah call out for her.

Throwing her pencil down in defeat, and shaking out that lingering feeling of pins and needles at her fingertips, Claire followed Serah's shouts to the bathroom, where her sister was standing in front of the running sink. Though Serah's back was to her, the reflection in the mirror showed that she was grinning like an idiot, so Claire simply waited and raised an eyebrow.

When Serah slowly turned around, her hand was outstretched and her expression was one of intense concentration -

Claire's mouth went dry as she stared at the wavering globe of water that hovered just above the palm of Serah's hand. It shook as Serah's look of concentration faltered, before bursting over her hand and soaking the tiles beneath her feet.

"That's..." Claire breathed, blinking as she looked from the puddle of water and back to Serah. "How did you-"

"I just concentrated on making it, you know? It felt right. There was this… it was like a _tug."_ Serah turned back to the sink, holding out her hand and chewing on her lip as she tried to repeat her earlier feat. Claire watched her silently for a few moments as she debated trying and failing, before she too extended her hand toward the sink.

Unlike Serah, Claire noted with a frown, she didn't feel any tug toward the water, and she didn't get any _feeling_ of what to do. She withdrew her hand with a snort, feeling foolish for even trying, but there was still that sensation of pins and needles and-

Claire raised her hands, her palms facing one another, and a spark of lightning arced between the two of them. Abruptly that feeling of pins and needles faded, and left her only with the rush of dizzying success and wonder. Claire began to laugh as she stared at her own hands in disbelief. What had happened to them? The brand on her chest prickled, and when her fingers skimmed it, she felt it grow hot through her tshirt. 

As Serah turned to see what all the fuss was about, her bare feet slipped in the puddle of water that she'd carelessly made on the floor with her spheres. Claire looked up to see her sister falling as if through deep water, and without any hesitation, she reached out and grabbed her sister's hand and steadied her.

Sound and speed returned to the world in a rush of static, and Claire was breathing hard as Serah stared at her.

"Claire," Serah breathed, blue eyes wide. "Did you see that? That was so _cool."_

There had to have been something that Claire had missed, because she certainly didn't feel like she'd done anything remotely 'cool'. She crossed her arms, waiting for Serah to explain her reasoning.

"It was - you were so fast! I could barely see you move!" Serah grabbed a vase from off the windowsill, hefting it so Claire could see. "Do you think you could do it again?"

"Do you really think we should try with mom's vase?" Claire grabbed the delicate vase from Serah's hands and set it firmly back on the shelf, resisting her impulse to attempt the terrible idea _anyway._ Instead, she jerked her head for Serah to follow along behind her. 

Forget homework - they had work to do.

###

After a long day of excitement and experimentation with blinding speed and water manipulation, Claire had collapsed all over the lounge room sofa. Her clothes were still a little damp from the telekinetically controlled water bombs that Serah had been lobbing at her toward the end of it all, but she couldn’t find it in her to care. She was bone-deep tired and halfway asleep when someone knocked on the door.

Blinking blearily and wandering over to the door, Claire opened it to find a police car parked in the dark driveway and two people in Eden City Police Department uniforms. The two of them looked grim, and for one moment of terror, Claire wondered if they were there about the crystals and the brands.

Only, it turned out that it was so much worse than that, and as the policemen told her about the freak car accident that had claimed her parents' lives, Claire let herself sag against the doorframe. She felt numb.

A car crash.

###

They each dealt with their parents' deaths in vastly different ways.

Claire had somehow been able to retain custody of Serah, and she'd become her sister's legal guardian even though she wasn't of age. At the end of court proceedings that seemed to go on forever, Claire supposed that it was all thanks to the hot-shot lawyer her parents had used. He was meant to be some friend of the family that Claire had scarcely met, but he had kept the wolves at bay and ensured they remained together, so she had to be grateful to him for that much. 

The money their parents had left them dwindled quickly as the lawyer moved to settle all outstanding debts and cost, all which frankly made Claire's head spin. She'd look at the bills piling through the door and she'd wonder if she'd even be able to take care of Serah, let alone deal with all of the rest of it.

Sometime after the last court case, she and Serah were left alone to deal with their grief in whatever way they could. Claire did what she did best - she focused on the goal of protecting Serah from the harsh realities of their new situation. She took up part time employment and while her grades suffered for it, it was enough.

There were no more games with their 'powers', or whatever it was that the brands were meant to have given them. There was no more exploration or laughter, because Claire didn't have the time or energy to devote to it. Eventually, she told Serah to forget about them entirely.

Protecting Serah in the only way she knew how was Claire's sole focus, and everything else faded away.

###

Serah didn't retreat into responsibility, at least not the way Claire had. When they'd stood in front of their parents' graves that first time, as Claire had made her steely promise to protect Serah at all costs, Serah made her own vow.

_No more senseless deaths._

While their parents' deaths had never officially been considered anything other than a freak accident, Serah remembered reading about a fierce battle between Bevelle's hero, Jecht, and some monster called Ultros. Some reports said that the fight had passed through the area that her parents had lost control of their car, and Serah could not help but wonder about it.

She never voiced her suspicions, though, not to Claire. Her sister had more than enough anger and poison left inside her heart even when she believed it was an accident. Giving Claire someone to blame? Serah was afraid that she'd lose her sister entirely to vengeance. Serah loved Claire too much to do that to her, selfish as it was.

Instead, Serah practiced her magic and control while Claire wrestled with her studies and jobs, but it wasn't until Serah forced Claire to enroll in the ECPD's Academy program that Serah's goal became something _real._

###

Serah was fifteen and taking the train across Eden, ready to meet with Claire to discuss the results of her entrance exam, when she met Frost Giant.

Or rather, her train was commandeered by the Ochu eco-terrorist group, and Frost Giant put the brakes on their plans to ram the train through Eden's barrier walls to escape into the forests beyond. Through the frosted windows, Serah breathlessly watched him snowboard at blinding speeds over waves of ice that appeared before him. He was laughing as he threw fistful after fistful of ice at the train, and eventually the train slowed to a shuddering halt.

After dealing with the armed terrorists that had taken the train, Frost Giant remained to help the passengers disembark. He was smiling as he offered Serah his hand, and while his features were somewhat obscured by the goggles over his eyes, there was something so open and honest and _good_ about him that Serah momentarily forgot Claire and the ECPD exams.

"You alright?" Frost Giant had asked, helping her down from the carriage. 

Serah had nodded. She'd wanted to say that she was _more_ than all right, that she was brilliant and focused and _knew_ what her purpose in life was - but the words stuck in her throat and then he'd turned to help the next passenger down.

It was a start, though, and it was after maybe an hour of excited planning that Serah realized that she was running late for her lunch with Claire.

###

Serah knew she had the power to make a difference, and therefore had the responsibility to _try._ So while Claire went off to the Academy to enforce the law and deal with the rising wave of crime and villainy throughout the thirteen Pulsian cities, Serah trained at home and snuck out during the nights.

Her 'costume' was not elaborate - a black ski mask and a motorcycle jacket was hardly intimidating when she was built like a reed and had very little height on her - but it was her hydrokinesis that made her a threat to the petty thugs and criminals that she sought out.

After all, her text books said that the body was an average of sixty percent water, so it wasn't hard to pull the water from their blood or lungs and simply render them unconscious with a twist of her hand. Serah would leave them in a sodden pile for the police, all drug dealers, thieves and thugs, feeling abuzz with success at actually making a _difference_ in the world.

Maybe she could stop some other children from losing their parents in a senseless accident - maybe then it would feel like she could justify having been given the gift of power. 

"I should do this, because I have the power to make a difference," Serah repeated to herself every night when she returned, and she'd smile and begin to treat any injuries she'd taken in her scuffles that night.

###

Serah had seemed happy enough after Claire had uprooted her from Bodhum and had moved her closer to Eden's central districts. Her sister was smiling more often and Claire had even heard her humming under her breath as she'd arrived home from school, despite the occasional limp that Serah had chalked up to a particularly vigorous session in gym.

Things were good, the pay as a rookie officer was a lot better than three of her part time jobs combined, and Claire was starting to actually enjoy her work. That had been an odd realization, to find that things were actually starting to work themselves out.

That had been before one of Claire's night shifts got swapped at last minute and she'd gone home to find the house empty. She'd thought little of it, because Serah had mentioned late-night study sessions before. So it was by chance alone that Claire was home to hear Serah stumble into the house in the middle of the night and hear her fumble around in the bathroom loudly.

Claire had lain awake, listening to Serah curse and drop something that sounded like glass jar. She'd finally sighed and pushed herself out of bed, and she'd been about to let Serah have it over the dangers of drinking out late in Eden when she'd seen the blood on Serah's clothing.

She'd gone cold and numb, staring at the blood. Why was it _always_ worse than Claire feared?

Claire helped Serah clean her side up, noting with relief that it wasn't bad and that it was just a scratch. She stepped back to let Serah wrap her middle in bandages, realizing with sinking feeling that Serah seemed well-practiced in the art of patching herself up. The black ski mask in the bin beside the sink didn't escape Claire's attention either, and she sighed, rubbing the bridge of her nose.

It had been too much to hope that Serah had given up on the strange marks they'd gotten three years before, and that Serah had ignored the power as Claire mostly had. No, Serah was out in the city doing Etro only knew _what,_ and Claire hadn't even noticed. 

How long had it been going on? Claire searched her memory, trying and failing to come up with an answer. 

Serah still looked pale as she slipped her shirt back on, and Claire wordlessly offered her a box of painkillers and a glass of water. Serah accepted them with murmured thanks, and moved to brush past where Claire leaned against the door frame.

"You don't owe anyone this," Claire said loudly to Serah's retreating back, her eyes narrowing as Serah faltered mid step. 

"I have the power to make a difference," Serah answered quietly, suddenly very still, as if cemented to the spot. 

"Serah. You are going to get yourself _killed_ out there." Claire stepped forward, taking a hold of Serah's shoulder and giving her a gentle shake. "Look at what happened just tonight - a little deeper, and I'd have been picking you up at the emergency ward - or worse, the morgue."

"Not if you were with me."

The statement blindsided Claire for a moment, and she struggled with the concept of what Serah was _saying._

Serah seemed to take that as a good sign, because she was actually meeting Claire's eyes as she continued. "If _you_ were out there with me, watching my back, then I know I wouldn't get hurt." 

"You can't be serious. Serah, I am a _cop,_ not a vigilante-"

"We were given these powers for a reason!" Serah snatched her arm from Claire's grasp, her eyes blazing. "We _can't_ be normal people, we have to help when we have the means!"

Claire shook her head, unable to believe that she was having this argument with her sister. "We don't owe them anything."

 _"Serve and protect,_ right?" Serah laughed bitterly as she quoted the ECPD motto back at Claire, something that Claire had sworn to not a month back. "Only when it suits you, huh?"

Claire stared at Serah for a few moments, too angry to answer coherently. Serah turned on her heel and stalked back to her room, and Claire fully expected it when her sister slammed the door shut and locked it. 

Her fingers strayed to her chest, skimming the mark from outside her shirt, and a sudden sensation of pins and needles spread out from it. She let out a long breath, pushing away the crackling feel of magic that she'd ignored for so long. 

"We don't owe them," Claire repeated softly.

###

Claire had grounded her, and had even reorganized her shifts to make sure she was home at night and that Serah would not be able to sneak out. Serah had tried to slip by her sister a number of times. Serah would never get far down the block when she'd hear the crackle of a thunder spell; suddenly Claire would have her by the arm and would be dragging her back home.

It had been going on for several weeks, and Serah had to admit that they'd reached a stalemate. On one hand, Serah stubbornly insisted that it was her obligation to help out on Eden's less-than-safe streets in whatever way she could. On the other side, Claire had dug her heels in and was not willing to budge on the topic.

As she glared blackly at her food, Serah _did_ understand where Claire was coming from. After having lost their parents, all they had left was one another. That didn't change that they'd been given their powers for a reason, just like what Frost Giant always said when the press cornered him. If Claire was out there too, then Serah knew she'd be as safe as she _could_ be.

Claire was sitting across from the table from Serah, looking as unhappy about their ongoing fight as Serah was. Neither of them said anything as they ate, and Claire had just gotten up to start with the dishes when her phone rang. She shot Serah a look before taking the call in the next room, and Serah had stabbed at the cold piece of meat on her plate as she listened to the muffled conversation. 

When Claire returned, she was pale and immediately reached for her gear. Serah's brows furrowed as she watched her sister rushed around the apartment to get ready, and Claire pulled on her boots, she jerked her finger at Serah. 

"Amodar has called me in for something extra, so I have to go. You will wait here, and if you are not here when I get back, so help me Serah." Claire's blue eyes were steel, uncompromising, and at not at all like the Claire that Serah remembered. 

With a spark of electricity, Claire was gone and out the door, leaving Serah to fume about the sheer hypocrisy of it all. She turned on the television with a scowl, leaving the ad breaks to play as she started gathering up the plates. 

When the commercials ended, she heard the beginnings of a news report, which was odd because it wasn't a news channel - Serah glanced up for a moment and nearly dropped her armload of plates to the floor.

"Oh my god," she breathed, and she was out of there even faster than Claire had been.

###

It was a hostage situation at the Eden Central bank, the whole thing caused by some wannabe B-list villain trying to mimic the unholy terror that Ragnarok had caused back in her day. Claire had arrived on the scene as the ECPD had pooled its resources, with Commissioner Rosch finding use for even rookies behind the lines they'd set up around the bank.

Frost Giant and his usual accomplice, Firefly, had been already inside when Claire had arrived, and since they'd gone in to diffuse the situation as the no-name villain had demanded, there hadn't been a hint of what was going on in the dark building. 

It was a waiting game, and not one that Claire was happy to play. She'd toyed around with blitzing past the police picket lines and cameras to get Rosch some eyes on scene, but she'd pushed the thought aside. She was doing enough by helping out in the force, and it'd be a hell of an example to give Serah if she ended up abusing her powers anyway -

There was a commotion from over where Rosch was crouched by one of the ECPD cars, and he was yelling something as an explosion came from the side of the building. Flames belched outwards for a moment as bricks and mortar flew, and Firefly rocketed out of there and landed in an ungainly heap. 

The idiot who had decided to take the bank hostage landed badly, and was quickly swarmed by the ECPD when it became clear that with his weapons melted and ruined, he would be no threat. Claire remained where she was on crowd control, watching the events unfold out of the corner of her eye.

She felt a small amount of relief as the hostages began to stumble clear from the wrecked bank, and Claire heard a swell of gasps and cries from the crowd as Frost Giant dragged himself through the debris and smoke. He was barely able to walk, his leg dragging at an odd angle, and there was someone in his arms -

Claire felt her stomach plunge as she recognized who it was.

_Serah, please no._

She was at Frost Giant's side before she knew it, and a vague part of her wondered if she'd used her powers to duck through the picket line of cars and tape. She haltingly took Serah from Frost Giant's trembling arms, and cradled her sister's head as she slowly laid her on the ground. She looked over her shoulder, her numbness spreading as she noted that the medics were on their way. 

There was blood everywhere. Claire couldn't be sure how much of it was Serah's, and how much of it was Frost Giant's. Her mouth was dry and everything felt surreal, and she watched Serah smile up at her, pale against all the blood and darkening bruises.

"It's gonna be okay," Claire heard herself say to Serah, and Serah coughed.

"We have the power to make a difference," Serah wheezed, her hand finding Claire's and clenching it in a vise-like grip. _"...you_ have the power to make a difference."

Claire stared at her sister, because if it was the end, she was going to break, and-

Serah wasn't breathing anymore when the medics arrived just a moment later.

###

It was lucky for the B-list villain - a tacky and over-cruel _bastard_ that called himself Armageddon - that he was shipped off and out of Claire's reach before she could get her hands on him. She suspected that none of her colleagues would have blamed her for wanting to exact painful revenge on him for what he'd done to Serah, but she supposed Rosch considered cold-blooded murder to be a bad look for the ECPD.

She was both angry and grateful to Rosch for having taken the choice away from her.

Claire had been offered counseling for her loss; while she'd accepted it, it didn't stop her from turning the events over and over in her head. 

It felt like her _fault._ She'd been unapproachable for Serah until things had been too far gone. She'd lashed out too hard against Serah's plans and intentions. She'd denied her powers and tried to do the same to Serah, and ultimately she hadn't been able to protect her sister when it had counted the most.

Serah had been _right._ The truth of it gutted her, and something inside her broke.

Claire was making her way back to her empty apartment from one of those counseling sessions when Frost Giant crossed her path. She'd been furious at him at first, holding him and Firefly as responsible for Serah's death as Armageddon had been, but as her anger had turned inward and she'd gone over the bank footage with an obsessive eye, she'd found Frost Giant had almost died himself in trying to protect Serah from Armageddon's wrath. 

He'd done far more to protect Serah than Claire had, and her anger toward him had abruptly fizzled out.

Frost Giant was still limping when he approached her, and still hadn't returned to 'active duty' or whatever it was that he called it. Claire ignored him as he'd sat down on the train next to her, focusing on her clenched hands. 

Claire knew the other people on the train were staring, and she could hardly blame them. What was a hero like Frost Giant doing, sitting on a train? He was smart enough to wait until Claire got off at her stop, and without needing to speak, she allowed him to follow her up to her apartment.

"I know that it won't make it better," Frost Giant said in a low voice, and sounding not at all like his usual over-confident self as he stood awkwardly in her kitchen. "But I am so sorry for your loss."

"You're right, it changes nothing," Claire told him quietly, clenching her hands together so tightly that her bones ached. "But I saw the footage. I saw the medical records. That she even lived long enough to say goodbye... That's thanks to you."

Frost Giant was quiet, watching her from behind his dark goggles and his expression unreadable.

"I'm to blame for what happened, just as much as Armageddon. I tried to ignore that part of myself and expected that Serah would do the same. I wasn't in there to watch her back the way she _wanted_ me to be. If I had..."

"But-"

 _"If I had,_ she might still be alive. I can't do that anymore."

Frost Giant frowned at her. "Do what?"

"Stand on the sidelines, and let people keep getting hurt because I'm too scared to lose. For Serah's sake, for her _memory,_ I have to be more than I am." Claire exhaled. There was nothing left for her to lose, now. Serah's last words felt like they were engraved on the front of her brain, coloring everything she did. 

"I understand." Frost Giant stepped forward, raising a hand as if to clasp her shoulder, before wisely thinking better of it. He turned to one of the notebooks on the kitchen counter, scribbling something down on a blank page before pressing the paper into her hands. "If you need help... Just call. I've got a _club,_ you see, and if you're interested in wiping out assholes like Armageddon... We may just be your thing."

Claire didn't say anything, staring down at the phone number scrawled on the lined paper. 

"Just think it over. I don't need an answer yet - hell, even one this _year_ \- but I will do what I can. For Serah."

Claire listened to Frost Giant see himself out of her apartment, her hands slowly forming into fists and crumpling the paper as she wrestled with her bitterness and guilt again. 

"Yeah. For Serah, I'll do whatever it takes."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh Serah, I'm sorry. I really liked having you around in this, too. 
> 
> If it helps anyone, please take consolation that this 'verse works by comic rules, and one of the most basic thing about comics? Nobody stays dead... not really. 
> 
> We also got a brief look at how superpowers are gained, though more on that later.


	3. Dangerous Games

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lightning and the Defenders deal with the fallout from the Eden City Museum blaze, and attempt to find a way forward in defeating both Barthandelus and Highwind.

Lightning came to when Firefly lifted her to her feet by the front of her suit, and as her eyes snapped open, she thrashed wildly against his hold on her. Groggily, she looked up into his demonic gas mask - it could be _really_ unsettling when she was still so out of it - and forced herself into a semblance of 'calm' as he set her back on her feet. Her head ached terribly, and she was still feeling faint from exhaustion and the smoke.

There was no time for rest yet, though, she thought as she rested her pounding head against the palm of her hand for a moment. 

"Highwind was here!" Lightning told Firefly in a hoarse roar, as the flames licked at the rooftop around them. She felt the building shudder as the framework was consumed by the fire raging within, and she stumbled a little. "She's long gone, now. I couldn't stop her."

"No _one_ of us could," Firefly said mildly from behind his gas mask, and then he looked out across the city. 

Lightning followed his gaze, watching as Frost Giant arrived to end the blaze in what looked to be a _tidal wave_ of glacial magic. He must have burst a few water mains to get that much ice at his disposal, Lightning decided, especially with such an intense fire to work with. Her head was still swimming though, and Firefly steadied her as she nearly lost her footing again.

A part of her remembered her role with the ECPD as liaison between the Defenders and Eden City, and she wondered how much fixing the burst water mains would cost her... Lightning shook her head, not wanting to deal with _that_ great mess that night.

"Come on, we'll let Snow and Hope finish up here. We need to get you back to base." Firefly offered her his hand, and Lightning accepted it shakily. 

"For debriefing?" Lightning asked, hating how unstable her voice sounded. 

"For medical treatment and some food. I swear to Etro, Lightning. We are not out to get you." Firefly sounded long-suffering, and Lightning wondered for a moment whether it was possible to hear someone roll their eyes. They blasted off from the museum's roof in a burst of fire magic, and as they cleared the impossible heat and smoke, Lightning took a deep breath and relaxed.

Highwind had slipped away _again_ though, and the question now was simple. What did Highwind and Barthandelus want from the museum? What were they planning? Lightning had a bad feeling that she would not like the answer.

###

"What happened to you?" Vanille asked as Lightning limped into the medic bay of the Defender base of operations, and Lightning ignored her as she approached one of the cupboards and dug through the high-calorie emergency rations. Selecting one and tearing into it, Lightning fixed Vanille with a sharp look.

"What _happened?_ Your ass of a sister happened, tried to throw me through a brick wall when I took issue with her burning down the Eden Museum." Lightning's eyes narrowed as Vanille went white - Etro, did she still not believe that Highwind had gone as bad as Sephiroth had? 

Maybe it'd take an outright murder before Vanille would believe anything bad of her sister, Lightning thought uncharitably as Vanille approached her.

"Cowl back," Vanille ordered, and Lightning obliged her with a sigh as the Defenders’ resident medic ran through the usual procedure. When Vanille was satisfied that there was no lasting damage from her drag-out fight with Fang, she let Lightning seat herself on the edge of the medic bay's bed and piled another four bars next to her.

"Eat up, because if something comes up..." Vanille's voice was dead serious, before she sighed. "What was she like?"

Lightning scoffed, not bothering to answer as she finished her off her current bar and started on the next. Whose side was Vanille on, anyway?

Vanille looked like she was going to say something, but one of the control panels at her station beeped at her, and she tapped a few keys.

"Snow and the others are here now," Vanille told Lightning, her voice carefully chipper. "You'll want to go speak with them on what happened, right?"

Lightning slid down off the medic bay's bed and she grabbed the last bar before she headed for the door. She paused at the doorway, her hands clenching and unclenching reflexively. 

"Vanille." Lightning kept her voice even. "You do know that we have to take her out, right?"

Vanille didn't turn to look at her, but her shoulders sagged a little as she busied herself with some crystal tablet on her table. 

"I know that," Vanille said softly, as Lightning finally turned to go. "I don't have to like it, though."

###

Snow looked tired when Lightning entered the wide mission room, and the dark circles under his eyes made him seem older than he was. He watch watching collated news reels on the wide screen set into the wall, which showed news coverage of Lightning's arrival at the burning museum, and then of Snow and Sazh's eventual arrival to stem the blaze. 

"Quite an entrance, there," Lightning said as she gratefully took a seat at the long table. Even after having eaten to replenish her reserves, she was still exhausted. 

"Not fast enough." Snow smiled at her, pulling out his own chair across the table. "A couple of minutes earlier, and the damage would not have been nearly as bad. As it was, it's lucky you were on-hand and able to complete evac of the building."

Lightning sighed, because while the lack of major injuries was a plus, Highwind's presence at the blaze meant trouble.

"Even I wasn't fast enough to stop Highwind," she said quietly, and Snow didn't answer. 

His head had cooled off a good deal since the incident with Armageddon and Serah, but he was still a chronic optimist about all the worst things. Between herself and Sazh, they had managed to form a more balanced approach to the problems they faced.

Snow was quiet and thoughtful as he waited for the rest of the Defenders to make their way into the mission room for the debrief. Sazh had removed a good portion of the Firefly heat-resistant armour and was missing his usual jet pack, and collapsed into the chair next to Lightning with a relieved sigh. 

Hope was the last to arrive, sitting next to where Vanille had taken one of the chairs at the head of the table. He had dropped Snow off at the blaze, before attempting to retrieve whatever security footage had survived the damage. From the look on his face, he had both good and bad news for them.

Lightning tried not to look at the last, empty seat at the table, and instead stared at her clenched hands, watching the play of muscles and tendons under the red and gold stripe over black. 

_Damn you, Fang._

"Right, good work on all fronts, everyone." Snow fiddled with the screen's controls for a moment, before sighing and handing it off to Hope, who smiled and obediently brought up a plethora of information on-screen. "The evac was a success and the Museum has let me know that all people that were listed inside the building at the time of the fire are accounted for, thanks to some quick actions on Lightning's part. The worst injury is a sprained ankle, but there is some pretty widespread issues with smoke inhalation and lung problems.

"According to Lightning, she spotted and then fought Highwind on top of the Museum." Snow turned to Lightning, gesturing to her. "Care to tell us a bit about what you saw?"

"There's not a lot to tell," Lightning started, casting a quick look to where Vanille was sitting before continuing. "I spotted something when I did my first round of the evac, and went back in to investigate. I thought that maybe I'd missed someone in there. Turns out it was Highwind, and she had something in a bag of some description. She must have taken something from the exhibits."

"D'you think she wanted something from the Museum, and lit the fire to cover her tracks?" Snow asked, and Lightning nodded.

"It's the only thing that makes sense," she said. "I'm not familiar with the usual exhibit layout, but it was on the second floor, in the north east corner, that I spotted her. Hope, can you narrow it down from there?"

"I can try." The young man brought some sort of system search up on the mission briefing screen, and a map of the Museum's current exhibits appeared. His eyebrows rose a fraction. "Looks like the second floor was minerals, with a current showcase on meteorites."

Hope looked thoughtful, as if something new had only just occurred to him. He didn't voice his ideas though, so Lightning supposed it was related to some of his other projects. The fact that Highwind's betrayal was so far down his list of concerns rankled just a little. 

"They aren't after more elemental stones... Are they?" Vanille ventured, and Hope shook his head.

"No. Elemental stones are highly sought after - even if the Museum _had_ any, it's unlikely they would have been stupid enough to put them out on display, especially when every C-list villain would be looking to steal it for the chance to gain magic."

"What would she want with just any old rock?" Sazh asked, tilting his head. "There's got to be something pretty damn unique if she and Barthandelus decided to burn down the whole damn Museum, just to get their hands on it."

"You're not wrong," Hope agreed, removing the picture of the museum layout. "It's a really new field, mostly theoretical, but there has been some research that has shown that certain materials from outside of this world have... Suppressing effects on people like us. People that are connected to magic, whatever way that magic actually expresses itself."

"Suppress..." Vanille trailed off, squinting at the screen, as if it would yield its secrets to her by force of will alone. Lightning supposed that Vanille of all people would be one of the most interested in these foreign minerals, given her affinity with rock and metal.

Maybe she'd be of use against Fang, after all.

"So she wants to make us ordinary humans?" Snow asked, his eyes narrowed as he gestured sharply to the reports that Hope had brought up. "Must be so that we can't stop whatever _else_ it is she and Barthandelus want. You know, how he's always banging on about his Maker and new world orders. Sideline us, they fell Eden City. Take out Eden City..."

"And the other thirteen will fall," Sazh finished, leaning back in his chair. "Once they establish a foothold here, it'd be difficult for our counterparts to then deal with the mess we couldn't clean up."

"Obviously, we can't let Barthandelus and Highwind succeed." Lightning leaned forward, her jaw firming. "We need to put our efforts into finding out what mineral they took, and then tracking them. Maybe the rocks they took emit a radiation."

"That _would_ make finding them easier, but with so much damage to the Museum, it could take them days before they're ready to start cataloguing what's gone missing." Hope's expression was grim. " _If_ the fire hasn't destroyed most of the mineral samples, too. But I'll see what I can get."

"Right. We'll wait for your verdict, Hope. 'til then, we need to keep a close eye on the city for Highwind and Barthandelus. You guys know the drift." Snow climbed to his feet, sighing. "Just radio for backup if you see her. None of us can take Barthandelus _or_ Highwind alone. As the Defenders, we are greater than the sum of our parts, and if we work together, we've got this."

It sounded like the same line he'd been feeding the media since the break at Bodhum District Prison, but it was true nonetheless. Snow and Sazh left the room quickly to resume their patrols of the city, leaving Lightning alone with Hope and Vanille.

As Lightning rose wearily to her feet, she heard Hope clear his throat nervously.

"Um, Lightning? A word with you in the lab, if I could?" he asked, almost jumping to his feet to walk with her to the door. Lightning shot him an odd look - it was unlike him to be so flustered these days.

"Fine," she told him, nodding once. "Just make it quick."

###

Hope's lab was a patchy collection of machinery and computers, and most of it had been gathered and maintained by Snow's friend, Maqui. Lightning surveyed the messy lab with a raised eyebrow, trying to take in all the information that the dozens of screens showed. There were probably a thousand searches and tests going on in this place, and Lightning knew that even if she stood here for an hour watching the systems work, she would have only seen a fraction of what Hope and Maqui did for the Defenders. 

Hope led her further into the labs, to where a small crystal-tech computer had been set up against the back wall. Lightning frowned when she took in the information on the screen - schematics of the Eden Western Power Station, a computer-generated image of one of her cells, and a photo of the internalised thundaga stone lodged under the brand on her chest. 

"I thought you were done with this," Lightning said, a little accusingly as she crossed her arms defensively. "Whatever it was that Ramuh did back then, I'm none worse the wear for it."

"You know we have to be careful." Hope sounded defensive, as if he'd already predicted her reaction to seeing the ongoing tests. "The elemental stones express themselves in a thousand different ways, and even the slightest thing going wrong with it could create a danger for not just yourself, but for Eden too."

Lightning snorted, but didn't argue. She'd seen enough berserker elementals in her time to know the truth of his words. Sometimes, it was a wonder the ECPD and its equivalents allowed groups like the Defenders to continue to operate.

"Anyway, it's taken me a couple of weeks, but it's done. Your cellular structure and unique thundaga magic pattern is all mapped out, and all on file now. The way you internalised the thunder magic is seriously unique, though. It's like it has combined with a haste spell on steroids -"

Lightning raised an eyebrow at him, and he sighed.

"Right, getting to the point. In observing your cells and your performance in the field over the past two weeks since the incident, I've noticed that the thundaga spell inside your cells - well. It's not all that _stable._ It's resonating with a lot of variance... I know you consider the speed boost that Ramuh seems to have given you a good thing, but..."

"But?" Lightning pressed looking back at the cell on the screen. She felt the prickle of pins and needles run down her spine again, more intense than it used to be, and she wondered if Hope had the right idea after all. That was, until he opened his mouth and made his next comment. 

"I think you should refrain from active duty. Until the increase in power has stabilised, we don't _know_ what your unstable cells _mean._ It could be bad, Lightning."

She shot him a sharp look. "You know that's not possible."

"To put on the breaks for a bit? Why not?" Hope looked genuinely confused by her answer, and frustrated, she turned away from him.

"I have the power to make a difference, no matter the cost to myself. How can I stand by, while the people of Eden and all the other cities suffer?" Lightning had promised that to Serah's memory, had sworn that her death would not be in vain and that her wishes would go on.

How was she to keep that promise if she backed off at the slightest hint of trouble? Hope had said it himself. It could be _nothing._ He looked unhappy at her response - Lightning shook her head and began to walk away. He didn't understand what drove her - not really.

"Just... Be careful, Lightning." Hope's voice followed her as she exited the lab.

When she'd finally made it out of there, she leaned her aching head against the cool, metal wall. 

Tomorrow, it would be time for Detective Claire Farron to make a show down at the precinct, she realised with a growing feeling of tiredness. Rosch was going to kick her ass for being MIA after the blaze, and not for the first time she wondered if Claire Farron should simply quietly disappear forever.

###

Barthandelus' hidden base of operations, tucked away under the Eden Harbour docks, was not the most pleasant place to be spending her free time. Fang sat down at the edge of the water near the wide pipeline that served as the hidden entrance to the base, listening to the machinery rumble in the distance and the sound of the water lapping at the docks. 

It was night time, and all of Eden was lit up like some sort of galaxy in front of her. It was beautiful, Fang decided with a small smile. At this distance, you couldn't see the rotting evil at its core, hear about the drug lords, see the streets of downtown Eden brim with violence as gangs warred for territory. 

For the brightest star on Gran Pulse, Eden sure sucked. 

Fang was still aching from her scuffle with Lightning from that afternoon, and she was nursing a nasty burn on her forearm that had only just began to heal up. She didn't remember Lightning being able to fire off thunder spells like that, though she supposed that it meant that things were getting further out of hand. 

Lightning had been both stronger and weaker than Fang knew her to be, and she remembered with a bitter smile at how the other woman had spat at her, consumed by hate for the betrayal. 

Fang hadn't been able to get the searing memory out of her head, and that was why she'd slipped away from the chaos of Barthandelus' rapid construction efforts. Fang supposed she should have been thankful to the man for his speed, but as it turned out, Nabaat had been right. The Museum had tested Fang's strength of conviction, and she'd badly needed the brief respite of solitude. 

Of course, that fleeting moment of peacefulness was shattered as Fang's hearing picked up the unmistakable sound of someone walking purposely towards her. She was on her feet with in a flash, her lance drawn as she debated simply slipping back into the base. 

_Perhaps they haven't seen me,_ Fang thought as she scanned the dark docks, her senses locked on the approaching danger. _It's not Lightning, because I wouldn't have heard her coming, not before I was on my arse and getting kicked around the Harbour. Firefly would have approached in the air, and the footsteps are too far light for it to be Frost Giant-_

"Put the lance down already, Fang," a familiar voice said in the darkness as the speaker approached, and Fang grimaced.

"Vanille." Fang didn't lower her weapon, keeping it trained on the blurry outline of her sister. She was glad to see Vanille, in spite of her better judgement, but that didn't change that this situation was a dangerous one. "How'd you find me?"

"The usual way," Vanille said with a shrug and a tap of her own temple, and Fang had to stop herself from laughing at that old answer. Some things never changed.

"One of these days, you'll have to be square with me about all that." Fang's smile turned a little bitter as she remembered the circumstances, and she tightened her grip on her weapon. "Come to bring your traitor sister to justice?" 

"You aren't a traitor, at least not in the usual sense. I know you too well to believe it." Vanille continued to approach then, and Fang reluctantly lowered her lance, reminding herself to remain wary. It was difficult with Vanille, who Fang had known her whole life, who had suffered through as much in Doctor Odine's labs as Fang had. 

Still, Fang was in far too deep to allow herself to throw it all away on sentimentality.

"And what of Luca Engineering?" Fang asked finally, her eyes narrowed. 

"A ruse. And not a very good one, either." Fang imagined the arch of her sister's eyebrow as she made that comment, and she laughed shortly.

"How about the Museum? All those priceless artefacts, gone up in smoke."

" _Snow_ has caused more property damage than _that_ and you well know that. When you didn't kill Lightning, I knew that something was up. When I overheard Hope talking to Lightning about what happened with Ramuh..." Vanille trailed off, as if suddenly unsure of herself. 

Fang felt a stab of fear lance through her stomach. "Is she still all right?"

"For now, I think so. She's in one of her more stubborn moods." Vanille sat by Fang on the dock's edge, and after a moment, Fang followed suit.

"Well that damn well figures," Fang growled softly, hugging one of her knees and leaning forward. She heard her boot trail in the water's edge, and she sighed. "That's exactly what got me _into_ this mess in the first place."

It seemed enough, for now, that Lightning wasn't in any immediate danger. If she kept running, however, that could change very quickly. Fang thought she could taste ash and smoke, and abruptly she felt nauseous. 

"I'm here because I want to help you," Vanille said quietly, and Fang wished that she could see her sister's expression. 

"You know what that means, right? If we get caught by Barthandelus - hell, even by the rest of the Defenders - we're goners." Fang snorted softly to herself. "Even if we succeed, we might be throwing our old lives away. You were the one who was keen on the hero gig at the start of all this, might I remind you."

Vanille sighed. "You took to the team like a fish to water, so I'm not the only one making sacrifices here. But Fang - who else knows earth and magic the way I do? Maybe I can actually help."

"Point taken. Nabaat is going to have a damn aneurism over this, though."

###

When Fang had told Vanille that Jihl was not going to like her presence in the base, she'd been perfectly honest. Nabaat was wary of her and considered her a danger to Barthandelus' operations, in spite of all that Fang had done to prove herself as committed to the cause as possible, so Fang had to respect the other woman's good instincts on that front.

Of course, she hadn't expected Nabaat to lunge at her from the darkness, as Fang had been escorting Vanille through the labyrinth toward Barthandelus' labs. Fang was shoved hard against the damp cement walls, the breath knocked from her lungs as she saw a flash of green eyes and wire-rimmed glasses. Before Fang could react and throw Nabaat off her with a flick of her wrist or a nudge of aero magic, Nabaat pressed something dull and black coloured against the scales of Fang's dragon armour. 

All strength and magic fled her like water down a drain, and Fang realised that it was all thanks to the meteorite that she'd obtained not hours before. The brand on her shoulder began to burn as the rock began to poison the elemental stone in her flesh, and she felt a spike of panic. Loathe to let her expression betray her fear, Fang bared her teeth at Nabaat, as the woman's elbow pressed sharply into her windpipe and began to cut off her air. Out of the corner of her eye, Fang watched helplessly as tendrils of darkness shot out from the tunnel walls and wrapped around Vanille, forcing her to her knees.

Fang couldn't look away - the volatile situation could go up in flames at any moment, and all she could do was watch as it careered wildly out of control. To Vanille's credit, she didn't fight, and just dropped down. Fang felt relief flood her even as her own vision began to swim. 

_Maybe we can salvage the situation, after all._

"I knew you were hiding something," Nabaat was telling Fang evenly, and as she leaned in close, she put more pressure on Fang's throat. Fang began to wheeze and cough, and she twitched weakly. "You couldn't resist selling us out to your friends."

"Did I sell you out, or did _she_ sell _them_ out?" Fang forced the words from her raw and abused throat, and was rewarded as Nabaat's eyebrows raised just a fraction.

"You expect me to believe that _Geogirl_ would cross over too?" Nabaat did not look convinced, but the pressure on Fang's throat lessened as the other woman turned her attention to where Vanille knelt in the damp tunnel. The meteorite vanished back into its container at Nabaat's side, and the burning sensation devouring Fang's brand began to slowly recede. 

Fang closed her eyes, praying to Etro that her sister's shoddy acting skills would not fail them.

"It's true," Vanille said in the quiet darkness, and Fang felt a surge of relief at how convincing she sounded. "I follow where Highwind leads. It's always been that way, even in the beginning."

It had just the right element of truth to it, and as Fang sucked in gulps of air, she cast a glance across at Nabaat from over her shoulder. Fang could almost see the cogs turning in Nabaat's head as she weighed up Vanille's words. 

"How very interesting," another voice said from the shadows, and Fang looked up sharply as Barthandelus emerged from the darkness of the tunnels ahead of them. The man considered himself to be the most powerful sorcerer in all of Eden and the thirteen cities beyond, and given that he was imbued with the power of four different elemental stones, Fang knew he wasn't far off the mark with his claim. 

The conflicting interactions between the stones had... Unfortunate effects on his body. His flesh had gone metallic and cold, and it wasn't blood that ran through his veins but magic. 

He was living power - and he was Fang's last resort when all other options were exhausted or too damn slow to help.

"Interesting indeed, that the childhood friend would follow the steps of the villain and into the shadows." Barthandelus' voice sounded considering as he circled Vanille, his staff tapping against the ground at fixed intervals as he moved. "And what was the cause of this apparent 'change of heart'? A desire for power unimaginable? Or is it merely the creeping despair that brought you here?"

"The bonds between family - especially _my_ family - are strong. As well you've figured out." Fang kept her voice cool, and Barthandelus looked amused at the idea. Her hands reflexively formed fists, but she forced herself to relax. Barthandelus was a bastard, but he was a bastard that she still needed.

"So she was _raised_ with you. Fascinating. She must have quite the story to tell." Barthandelus' staff swung down, and he tilted Vanille's chin up so he could look her in the eyes. 

_Easy, Vanille..._ Fang thought, hoping that she would neither flinch nor stare at him too defiantly. It was a fine line to walk with _him._

"Perhaps another day," Fang said, and it took every ounce of self-control she had not to rush over to Vanille's side when Barthandelus turned away from her. Vanille's shoulders had sagged a little, and Fang wondered what had transpired.

"Perhaps," Barthandelus agreed, and then he laughed. It was cold, cruel, and reverberated against the narrow concrete walls. "For now, I will allow it. She holds a quake element, is that not so?"

"She does." Fang smiled hollowly, watching Vanille climb slowly to her feet. 

"Then she will prove invaluable in our endeavours." Barthandelus was gone in a flash of dark magic, but it wasn't over. Nabaat watched them, as if calculating and reassessing Fang's worth and weaknesses, before she too started off down the tunnels.

Fang immediately sprang to Vanille's side, hugging her close for a moment just to be sure she was still in one piece. That confrontation was not one she wanted to repeat - growing bruises on her throat aside, Vanille's life had been on the line. She had been insane for agreeing to bring Vanille in on it...

But it had _worked._ She still couldn't believe it.

"Come on," Vanille said softly, pulling away from Fang's grasp. "We've got work to do, don't we?"

"That we do." At least she wasn't alone anymore.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A bit more insight into what Fang is hoping to achieve by teaming up with her worst enemy, plus a little more information on what went down at the power plant just before Fang defected. Also, more team dynamics, which I love to write. 
> 
> More to come next weekend!
> 
> I said I'd cover some more information on the Defenders in my notes, right? 
> 
> Snow Villiers is the hot-headed leader of the Defenders, though he shares many of his responsibilities with Sazh and Claire. He took the superhero name of 'Frost Giant' because of his height and ice-themed magic. He was an orphan from Eden's seedier downtown area, and when his best friend Gadot was claimed by the Eden underworld, he decided he had to take a stand. His powers are along the lines of Iceman and Frozone. 
> 
> Vanille - or 'Geogirl' - is a quake elemental with a good deal of skill in healing magic. Her precise origin is unknown to the Defenders, only that she has been present in Fang's life since (almost) the beginning. If Fang knows, she's not telling, and Vanille is not eager to broach the topic with the others. 
> 
> If Fang's origin is most similar to Superboy's, then Vanille's is most similar to Supergirl's. 
> 
> Which makes you wonder - who is or was the equivalent of Superman in this 'verse?


	4. Lines Drawn and Crossed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While Fang assists Barthandelus in creating the device that will render the heroes powerless, Lightning attempts to deal with another betrayal and her own surging magic.

When Claire arrived at the ECPD headquarters very early the next morning, she noted that substantially more people had come in earlier than normal. She shrugged it off, glancing at the large board in the center of the room that dealt with the Highwind case, the Defenders. Pictures and diagrams linked Highwind to Ramuh, Luca Engineering, last night's blaze at the Eden Museum and - a little questionably - a slew of other heists throughout the past few years. 

Claire didn't want to think about how it would look for the Defenders if Highwind _was_ responsible for all those older unsolved crimes. The press would have a damn field day, and Claire suspected that with tensions running so high, the resulting scandal would dwarf the one that followed Highwind's initial betrayal.

She made her way to her desk, nodding to Rygdea as she sat down and rubbed her eyes for a moment. Thunder elemental stone or not, she was still feeling the effects of her scuffle with Highwind yesterday. Her energy levels were still low, sending tremors of exhaustion through her body when she forgot herself. With all the recent chaos, Claire wasn't having a great deal of success in replenishing her reserves, but it was enough if she didn't push herself too hard. 

Claire had just pulled out one of her neglected files when she heard someone clear their throat from a few paces behind her.

"Welcome back, Farron."

She looked over her shoulder sharply, recognising the voice immediately, and she rose smoothly to her feet. Commissioner Yaag Rosch. His expression was mild, but the fact that he was standing at her desk at all was setting off alarm bells in her head.

"Commissioner?" Claire asked, meeting his eyes questioningly. 

Rosch didn't smile. "Please, come into my office for a moment."

Claire nodded and followed him across the second floor of the ECPD's headquarters, entering his sparsely-decorated office. She took a seat as gestured, while Rosch quietly closed the door behind him. She crossed her arms in front of her chest, her mind working. She'd already told him everything she knew about Highwind and her defection - other than a few things that were intensely personal that Claire would never breathe a word of to anyone.

_It's nobody's business but my own, anyway._

Rosch sat at his desk, pinning her with his stare as he leaned forward.

"As you would have no doubt seen, we've opened a case on the fire at the Eden Museum. There have been suggestions that the fire was of a suspicious nature, caused by Highwind as a ruse to allow her to steal something undetected." Rosch did not look happy, and Claire wondered briefly how he could have come to that conclusion on his own.

She supposed Hope had passed on the recovered footage from the Museum, when he finished his analysis. It was a surprise that it hadn't been given to her to pass on directly, as a part of her cover as Defender liaison for the ECPD.

"After the fire was under control, I _attempted_ to call you in. We had need of your expertise in dealing with the Defenders who controlled the blaze, and as official liaison to the group you were -"

"I get it. I'm sorry, things just -" Claire forced herself to stop, and she took a breath to reorder her chain of thought. No excuses. It was what it was, and while she was sure Rosch had his suspicions as to the depth of her involvement with the Defenders, she still had neglected her role. "It won't happen again, Commissioner."

Rosch looked a little more satisfied with the promise, even if his eyes were still calculating, as if he was trying to read her. She met his eyes squarely, unwilling to bend even if she'd conceded the point. 

"You're behind in your cases, Farron," Rosch said finally, folding his hands on the desk. "You've not reported on any of the ones you've worked in close to a week... Tell me, have you even gone out to speak to the witnesses to the Sandy Park muggings?"

Claire felt a flicker of embarrassment and shame at having been called so soundly on it, but she set her jaw.

"Sir, this has not been an easy week for me, because you said it yourself. I am ECPD's liaison with the Defenders, _at your request_ , and every journalist and reporter in every city wants my take on the Highwind issue. Between all the press releases and cleaning up the mess at Luca Engineering-"

"My _question_ , Farron, would you permit me to ask it, is whether or not you require time off in order to reassertion your priorities."

_That_ caught Claire off-guard. Having been asked - no, _told_ \- the same thing the night prior by _Hope_ , Claire felt the embers of anger in her chest suddenly stir and grow hot. 

"No, I don't require that." Claire's voice was terse and clipped, and she couldn't bring herself to care. "I'm fine, and I will ensure I make headway on the case you mentioned."

Rosch didn't look convinced or impressed by her answer, but after a moment, he nodded anyway.

"We need you at your best, and especially at a time when vigilantes and groups like the Defenders are being heavily scrutinised by the public." Rosch grimaced, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "No matter what your personal beliefs on the subject are."

Claire bit bit back her first response, because she _knew_ that he was right. She'd been so preoccupied with Highwind over the past two weeks sine Bodhum Prison... Claire felt unsettled as she left his office without a further word, her body tense and _wired_. She sat down at her desk, her mind racing faster as she went back over the conversation and the events of the last twenty-four hours, and there was a dull static roar in her ears. She shook her head sharply, and the static faded. 

_The Sandy Park muggings..._ Claire thought as she took the file from her desk drawer. _I have to start there._

As Claire began to go over the statements and reports, she reached out for her coffee mug, and without warning, lightning arced from her palm before she could snatch it back. The ceramic mug on her desk shattered all over her paperwork, and Claire felt eyes on her as she hastily began to scoop the shards up. 

Accidents happened, she told herself as she finished cleaning up the area, especially when Hope had already told her that her magic was still adapting to the extra power that she'd gained from Ramuh's machine. This sort of thing was to be expected, irritating as it was.

Claire hated to admit that she was a little relieved when her phone buzzed, because it gave her something else to focus on.

_"Claire, get down to HQ as soon as you can."_ Snow's voice was terse and worried, which was never a good sign. _"We've got a situation and we need to regroup."_

"I'm on my way," Claire told him softly, ending the call and reaching for her coat. To Rygdea, she said, "I'm following up some leads downtown, if anyone asks." 

Rygdea didn't look up from his paper and his coffee, and merely gave her a lazy wave as she brushed by him on her way out of the ECPD. As soon as she was out of the building and alone, she activated her thunder magic and began to flash towards the Defender headquarters.

###

When Lightning dropped down the manhole over HQ, she'd already pulled back her cowl in preparation for the usual security checks. As she approached the wide, steel door set into the side of the old sewers, she stilled as a blue light ran up and down her body, before narrowing to focus on her eyes. 

_"Welcome back, Lightning."_ The voice was just prerecorded message from Hope, but it lost a lot of its shine when she had to go through it at least three times daily. As the metal door swung open, Sazh - minus Firefly's gas mask and fire gear - stuck his head out and waved to her.

"You'd better get your ass inside quick, he's about to lose his cool - so to speak," Sazh told her as he led her down the narrow corridor and into the briefing room. 

Snow looked up from where he was pacing up and down the length of the room like some sort of restless tiger, his face crumpling in relief as he nodded to her. Lightning began to wonder what it was all about, if _Snow_ was this worried. He hadn't been that bad since the incident with the Undying, nearly two years back. Hope was already seated at the large table, and his expression was grim but thoughtful.

As Lightning and Sazh took their seats at the Defenders table, Snow ran fevered fingers through his shaggy blond hair. 

"Vanille has gone missing," he said roughly, and he didn't sit down. "Sazh found she was gone this morning, and we haven't been able to find her."

_Vanille has gone missing,_ Lightning echoed silently, but she held her tongue and waited for Snow to continue. She'd see where he was going with it, first.

"I say we need to take immediate action on this. We need to launch a full-scale search effort and find out where she's gone. I'll turn this city upside-down-"

"And find _what_?" Lightning asked sharply, slamming her open palm onto the table. "That she's run off to her sister and joined Barthandelus' merry little gang?"

"She could be in trouble!" Snow all but roared at her, his blue eyes furious and his fists clenching reflexively, and Lightning wondered then if he wanted to punch something. 

"And she could be a traitor. Snow, you know that I am the ECPD liaison for the Defenders, _and_ the one who has been hounded by the media for the last two weeks. If we launch the search, we get media attention, and if we find that she defected after all, there will be a _storm,_ Snow. The ECPD are already nervous about the Defenders. What do you think will happen if they find out another one of us has gone bad?"

"You want me to just stand back and do _nothing?"_ Snow demanded, and Lightning glared at him.

"I am saying that you need to keep your head on," she ground out. "You want to search? Do it discreetly. Don't raise the alarm. At least do the rest of us that favour."

"Woah now, don't go dragging the rest of us into this." Sazh's protest was half-hearted though, and Lightning shot him a look that conveyed exactly what she thought of his attempts to play Devil's advocate. 

"She's right, you know." Hope said quietly from his corner of the table, and it was the first thing he'd said since Lightning had arrived. "Public opinion of the Defenders is at an all-time low. Do we need this to be the spark that sets off the warehouse of C4?"

"You agree with her?" Snow looked like he couldn't believe it for a moment, before he turned his attention back to Lightning. "You won't do _anything?"_

"I didn't say that. Cool your head off and think about the consequences of your actions for once before you make things worse." Lightning stared him down, daring him to argue the point further because she was _dying_ for a proper fight now.

Seconds passed, and Snow looked down and away. With a roar of frustration that seemed to make the table shake, Snow barged out of the room, and Lightning watched him leave, her own anger threatening to bubble over. Not bothering to excuse herself to Hope and Sazh, she left the room and headed for the HQ exit. 

She didn't give a damn _what_ Snow thought - the answer was obvious. Vanille had betrayed them for Fang, and Lightning couldn't stand the thought of how much trust they'd put in the pair of them - how much faith _Lightning_ had put in _Fang._

She felt pins and needles run across the surface of her skin and down her arm, and she shook the feeling of magic out with a curse. She felt like she needed to run, but venting would have to wait until she got Yaag Rosch off her back.

###

That night, after Claire Farron had spent the day cross-checking witness statements and gathering what evidence remained, Lightning staked out Sandy Park and ignored her usual patrol route. From her vantage point atop one of the low-budget block of apartments, Lightning could see the full expanse of the darkened park. She leaned over the edge of the building, the binoculars she'd borrowed from Maqui and Hope's lab balanced in one hand while she devoured another full box of pizza to replenish her reserves.

She was halfway through the last slice when she caught a flicker of movement through one of the darker areas of the park, and she tossed the crust back into the box with a sigh. In spite of the spate of muggings going on in the park, you could not stop a determined jogger. As she watched the jogger run onwards, she caught another flicker of movement, this time from the dense shrubbery lining the pathway ahead of him.

Lightning carefully placed the pair of binoculars on top of the stack of empty pizza boxes, before stowing the lot of it in a hidden storage container at the corner of the building. She reached out for the thunder magic, closing her eyes as the intense crackle ran through her. It was show time.

She was down from the building in an explosion of movement, and in the time it took for her to take half a breath, she was streaking across the darkened Sandy Park and toward where she saw the jogger vanish. Passing through the trees in a flash, Lightning slowed, and she was just in time to blur between the unsuspecting jogger and the would-be mugger. Her lips quirked into a small smile - she'd timed it perfectly.

Her hand shot out to catch the mugger's strike mid-swing, and she felt a tremor run through her body as the impact jarred painfully. She didn't let any of it show in her voice as she told him,

"Nothing personal." 

She had to admit that she got a kick out of seeing their eyes widen when they realised they'd been caught. Tonight was no different as he stumbled backward with a yell, the knife in his hands clattering to the paved pathway loudly enough to draw the oblivious jogger's attention. She paid the jogger no heed as she advanced on her target, and she shook her head when the fool tried to _run_.

He didn't stop, even if he cast a terrified look behind him as he bolted. Lightning sighed, trying not to enjoy playing with him and failing miserably. If he wanted to play it that way, then... A burst of magic had her circling him, and she put on the breaks as he rounded the corner. For him, it would have seemed like she had appeared from nowhere.

Lightning set her stance, and he bounced off of her and went sprawling in the dirt.

"That's enough." Lightning bent down and hauled him to his feet, lifting him so they were eye-level. "You working alone?" 

The mugger stared wordlessly at her, his eyes wide. Lightning tightened her grip on the front of the guy's shirt. 

"Don't make me have to hurt you," Lightning told him, and she frowned as she heard something approach her from behind - she pivoted sharply, and the crowbar sailed harmlessly past her body, the first mugger's accomplice staggering as he missed his target at the last possible instant. Lightning exhaled sharply, shoving the first mugger into the second and sending them both flying into the dust. The first mugger didn't move, but the second began to struggle.

It was pretty widely known that she had fast reflexes, and that _bullets_ were close to useless against her. Her eyes narrowed thoughtfully. Criminals were either getting stupider, or they were getting braver. She pulled the crowbar free from the second mugger's grasp, tossing it off to the side and shoved her foot against his chest, forcing him back to the ground.

"Sit tight for a bit." Lightning drew some cable ties from the pouch at her belt, and secured the second mugger's hands behind his back with them, and did the same to the unconscious one. As she rocked back on her heels, she activated her Defenders comm line.

"ECPD, this is Lightning. I have the Sandy Park muggers, please pick them up from the Park at your leisure. I'll forward my statement through the usual means." With that, Lightning ended the call, her eyes cutting down to her targets.

They were just kids, really, no older than what Serah had been when she had decided to take her fate into her own hands. Only, Serah had been on the other side, one of the people trying to stop crime than trying to benefit from it. But for people like this, _whatever_ their reasons, Serah might not have died. The thought filled Lightning with anger and resentment, and she half hoped that the ECPD would not collect the two until morning.

She left them in the dark, and despite the thrill of battle, she felt no better than she had that morning. She felt tense, she felt -

Lightning looked down at her hand, frowning as electricity sparked bright in the darkness. She looked up at the dark sky, closing her eyes for a moment to settle her anger. Maybe Hope had a point after all.

###

Lightning found herself at the Eden City power plant not long after her run in with the muggers in Sandy Park. As she took in the area, she saw that the fenced-off network of buildings were still silent and deserted. The whole sector had been out of commission since the Ramuh incident two weeks prior, while their teams and Hope tried to discover what it was that Ramuh had been after in the first place.

It wasn't like they could just ask him anymore, Lightning noted with a set jaw. Highwind had seen to that. 

The load of the western districts' power needs had been temporarily reallocated to the other three stations. While the resource sharing had been fraught with errors, likely the lights would go back on soon and it would be back to business as normal. Only, it wouldn't be, not for Lightning or the Defenders.

As she pushed her way into the biggest of the power plant's stations, Lightning exhaled softly. This place - this area exactly - had been the last place that Lightning had seen Highwind fight for _them_. It was the last place that Highwind had been on Lightning's side, with the Bodhum District Prison, Luca Engineering and Eden Museum still yet to happen. 

Lightning remembered that she'd been called in last to the Ramuh mission, as a final resort back-up as Frost Giant, Firefly, Highwind, Alexander and Geogirl faced off against the ageing lightning sorcerer. Lightning had dove straight into the battle at Highwind's desperate request for backup, dodging arcs of thundara as the power plant went _haywire._

Lightning had gone directly to Highwind as the other woman had wrestled with Ramuh's thunder demons. Frost Giant had been down, sent sprawling while his coat burned and smoked. Geogirl, Firefly and Alexander were on the defensive, all standing back to back as they tried to fend off the power-hungry demons that sapped energy straight from the city grid. 

They had been losing when Lightning arrived, and as Highwind blew apart a thunder demon with razor-sharp gusts of wind from her lance, she'd roared at Lightning to follow Ramuh into the power plant's core. What he was planning was bad news, Highwind had said, and that he'd short out the whole city and destroy the city barriers. Lightning had followed Ramuh, burst in on the central core with little thought - and then there had been nothing but static and agony.

Lightning had woken up a week later to find her powers surging, but okay. As she had struggled back to work, the news hit that Highwind may well have betrayed the Defenders.

No matter what the footage had said, Lightning had tried to believe in Fang's innocence. Highwind had saved Lightning's life countless times and she'd meant so _much._ Not long before the Ramuh incident, Lightning had even told Fang all about Serah, her death and the promise, she'd _trusted/_ Fang. 

All through the next week, Lightning had convinced herself of Fang's innocence, had left the other woman unanswed messages telling her to come forward to set the record straight.

Lightning walked around the power plant's main entrance, marking in her mind the place that Fang had been fighting, as if trying to recapture the simplicity of that day. She entered the core room cautiously, looking down to where she had last seen Ramuh alive and calibrating his machine desperately at the core's center. She leaned over the rails, closing her eyes.

Luca Engineering had happened next, and it had changed _everything_. It had been an absolute miracle that nobody was killed as Highwind and Barthandelus stripped the labs of all their priceless equipment, and when Lightning had heard that it was _Fang_ in there, that she was hurting all those people for a sick bastard like Barthandelus, she'd entered the building in spite of Rosch's advice to keep clear of the situation. 

The evidence had been undeniable, then. Lightning felt herself break inside as she watched Highwind stand threateningly over the lab staff and security, and she'd felt dizzy for a moment as she tried to reconcile self-sacrificing, brilliant _Fang_ with the harsh threats and the bloodied injured civilians. 

Her hands had found a steel pipe that had been ripped free in the debris, and she'd charged Highwind without further thought. She'd lashed out viciously with her makeshift weapon, and the other woman just had time to widen her eyes in surprise as Lightning slammed the steel pipe into the side of her head. The blow had been hard enough to knock a normal human's head off, but Highwind was not a normal human. 

She still went flying though, impacting against the wall hard, but it was a testament to Highwind's sheer power that she had righted herself immediately after impact, and was lunging for her before Lightning had the chance to enjoy the satisfaction of a solid blow. Lightning hadn't bothered to try to block any of Highwind's strikes, knowing the steel pipe she carried would not last under the onslaught of Fang's enormous strength, and instead slid under each of her strikes. She had dodged, pivoted and evaded every last one of Fang's strikes, the world seeming to move so much slower - or perhaps that just meant Lightning was getting even faster. 

"What is that?" Fang had demanded as she missed her next uppercut, stumbling off balance. "You've not even broken the speed of sound in the past, now you're running at least _twice_ that, by my reckoning."

Lightning hadn't answered, and instead had slammed the steel pipe against the side of Highwind's armour and back into her chin again for good measure. She had had nothing she wanted to say to Highwind, because the betrayal had hurt so badly and Lightning had been so angry. 

Highwind had cursed as the room had abruptly chilled, her lance lowering for a second as she looked around for Frost Giant, and Lightning had taken that chance to ram through her defenses, bringing the steel pipe forward and into a vicious strike that would get Fang straight through the stomach if only she angled it just right -

Of course, Snow had stopped her, and Fang had started to take things more seriously then by throwing Lightning through several concrete walls. 

Lightning looked down at her hands as they clenched around the guard rails, and laughed softly and looked back to the damaged machine still affixed to the power plant's core. She felt her magic burn through her veins, stronger now than ever before. 

Fang - no, she wasn't _Fang_ anymore and Lightning had to accept that - _Highwind_ had betrayed them, and at every turn Lightning had failed to apprehend her. The failure to make things right was stinging and dogged her every move and thought, and she didn't know what to do. 

###

Lightning was still in the power plant later that night, checking over Ramuh's fried machine with an eye for detail, when Snow stopped by. She'd ignored him as he'd lingered uncertainly by the open door, simply focusing on examining and identifying what additional information she could from the machine. While Hope had taken a look at the thing during her week as a vegetable, Lightning wondered if the machine would give up more of its secrets to a thunder elemental. 

So far, nothing had happened, and as she rocked back on her heels, Lightning heard Snow slowly approach her. She sighed and shook her head - it was hard to stay angry at him.

"Hey," he said softly, and Lightning looked over her shoulder as she climbed to her feet. 

"Hey. I assume you want something?" Lightning didn't believe that there was any _other_ reason he would show up at a deserted power plant. 

"Just wanted to say... Sorry. About this morning. I overreacted." Snow shoved his hands in the deep pockets of his fur-lined coat, his goggles pulled down around his neck and his face honest and grim.

"We all have our moments." Lightning shrugged, turning back to the machine and running her hand over the scorched metal plating on top of it. "What have you found out about her disappearance?"

"That likely you were right. Things are missing from her room on-base - clothes, keepsakes. That sort of thing. It all seems pretty clear, I guess." Snow didn't sound too happy about that admission, but in a job like their's, feelings hardly mattered. 

"I know it's tough. I didn't want to believe it with Highwind, either." Lightning looked up at the dark ceiling, and closed her eyes. "We can't afford to make the same mistakes again. We'll take them out, and Barthandelus too. I promise you. We can make it right."

Snow was quiet for a very long moment.

"Ah..." he began, and then stopped, as if still trying to order his thoughts. "Look. I was talking with Alexander today and he told me that he recommended you steer clear of the beat, even if Highwind and Geogirl are on the loose."

Lightning paused, her entire body going tense.

"I remember something like that, yeah." Lightning kept her voice deliberately neutral as she cut him a sharp look. "What of it?"

"...any reason you told him no?" Snow asked, seeming genuinely concerned. Lightning snorted softly, turning back to the machine. Snow, of all people, knew the answer to that question, no matter how much worry he tried to heap on her.

"Tonight, I was able to stop a pair of muggers from hurting a guy as he jogged through Sandy Park. They were armed with knives and crowbars, and they'd been at large for two weeks. I've seen the damage they did to the others, all in the name of a bit of money." Lightning kept her eyes fixed on the machine, not letting her lingering anger show. "If I wasn't there, that jogger would have been another victim, another person that I didn't help when I had the means."

"But we're out there too, you know. You don't need to be doing this alone," Snow pointed out, and Lightning nodded.

"That's fair, but I still have the means to make a difference, even if it's to just one person, by being on duty. It's what Serah would have wanted. It's what I promised."

"Claire-"

"Lightning," she corrected, whirling and shoving him hard in the chest. He stumbled back, his expression surprised, but she found she no longer cared. _"Claire Farron_ is a mask and a tool, and one that is fast losing its usefulness to me. I _am_ the job, and no matter how well-meaning you, Hope and Rosch are, that doesn't change that I lost my only family because I took the easy way out."

"We might not be your blood, but the Defenders are _still_ your family, and we need to stick together. Light, you're the sister I never had - don't you think it kills me to think that maybe there is something wrong?" Snow demanded, taking a hold of her shoulder and shaking her. "I don't want to lose any of my family. Not when I've worked so hard to _find_ them."

Lightning closed her eyes and shoved his hand off of her shoulder, but his voice had been choked with emotion she knew was genuine. She'd lost Serah - no matter what her promise, she couldn't do that to someone else, and certainly not to Snow, who had been there for her ever since. 

She'd already lost the will to fight on when she exhaled shakily. 

"Fine. I'll take it easy. You can take my scheduled patrols, since you've little else to do." Lightning shot him a wry look, and Snow beamed at her. "But if I see Geogirl or Highwind, I will pursue. Do you understand?"

"Yeah. But you know you can count on me to take care of things while we wait for your magic to settle down." Snow really couldn't stop smiling, it seemed. Victory was going to his head. "It won't be for long."

Lightning laughed softly, turning on her heel and walking for the power plant's exit. "I'll hold you to that."

###

It took two days for Barthandelus to come up with the goods, once Fang had given him the proper materials and the equipment with which to make it. He'd worked like a man possessed, day and night, his lab ringing with construction, the hum of machinery and the occasional explosion. 

Fang's lip curled as she leaned against the wall of the lab, immensely bored of it all. She supposed that he just really _loved_ his job of hurting the Defenders in any way possible, and a part of her felt bad that she'd let the sadistic monster out of his nest, but she squashed the thought ruthlessly. 

If there had been another way, she would have taken it. She had to live with her choice and all its ramifications. To her left, Vanille stood, looking just as bored as Fang felt. Unlike Fang, Vanille had been of use to Barthandelus in analysing the ore from the meteorite. The material had some sort of negating effect on magic, from what little Fang could tell from Barthandelus' resulting technobabble, which was exactly what she needed. 

Fang was still going to go stir-crazy while cooped up in this place. 

When Barthandelus finally announced that the device was complete, Fang had heaved a sigh of relief, hoping that she might be able to out a stop to the doomsday clock counting down in her head. Nabaat looked pleased as Barthandelus emerged from his laboratory, holding something small, rounded band of dark metal in his metal hands.

It was a collar, Fang noted with sour feeling. For a puppeteer bastard like Barthandelus, she could have expected nothing less. The real surprise had been when he'd held it out to Vanille, his eyes cold and calculating as the feel of swelling magic stirred the hair at the back of Fang's neck. 

"We have need of a test subject," Barthandelus told Vanille, with all the threat of an avalanche of magic behind his words. Fang's breath stilled in her chest, and Vanille's eyes went wide as she looked from the dark metal in Barthandelus' outstretched hands and over to where Fang was standing.

What was his game? That thing was experimental, and any outcome at this stage could be painful. Fang didn't hesitate as she stepped smoothly between them, taking the collar from him.

"No need for that," she told him, and it took all of her daring to look him in the eyes as she snapped it around her neck. He didn't stop her, the corners of his eyes crinkling in - was that satisfaction? Fang didn't have time to ponder that reaction as Barthandelus leaned forward, touching two fingers to the grooves at the front of the collar. 

The pain was immediate, coming from everywhere at once, like fire tearing through her bones and muscles. Fang dropped to her knees with a choked cry, clutching at the collar and trying in vain to rip it off her body. She couldn't _see_ through the blinding light in her eyes, and she could barely hear through the dull roar in her ears. 

Fang thought she heard Vanille call her name, and she thought for a moment that Vanille tried to touch her. Fang pulled away from the hands, falling roughly to the ground as she felt herself curl up into a protective ball. Her strength was gone, Fang realised through the dense fog of pain, just like when Nabaat had used it against her before. 

That realisation did nothing to help her as the pain only intensified, and then it abruptly stopped.

Through the static in her ears, Fang heard Barthandelus's footsteps and staff ring against the cold cement ground, and with the end of his staff, he tilted her chin so she was forced to look him in the eyes. Fang struggled to focus, her head swimming.

"How far the mighty have fallen," Barthandelus told her with a low chuckle, and Fang sucked in a ragged gasp of air. "I find that the current leash on the dragon suits my needs. Do not think to take it off."

_You will be a puppet for the rest of your days,_ Fang finished silently for him, her whole body convulsing as he let her go. She watched him as he vanished back into his labs to make more of the things that would _enslave_ her friends, and when he and Nabaat were finally gone, she let out her breath in what could have almost been a sob.

Vanille was at her side then, pushing back her sweaty hair and checking her eyes, but as she moved to touch the collar, Fang weakly batted her hand away. 

_"Don't,"_ Fang rasped, and was surprised to find that she could do so. Her strength was returning to her - there was probably an activation spell involved, then. "We continue to play his game. We... We aren't out of the woods yet." 

As she tried to roll over and rise to her feet, her arms nearly gave out on her, and Vanille caught her before she could fall again. 

"Fang, this thing - this is what we're after?" Vanille's voice was hushed, and Fang swallowed as she was helped to her feet.

"This... This is not going as planned," Fang ground out, furious at Barthandelus, Nabaat and herself for letting them get away with it all. "He wasn't meant to _do_ this. He wasn't meant to _weaponise_ it. Not like this. Of all the ways..."

"Can we use the raw material?" Vanille asked, and Fang shook her head.

"Toxic. Kills elemental stones on prolonged exposure. Can you imagine the hell that would break loose if I did _that_ to her?" Fang laughed haltingly, even as her head swam sickeningly. 

"What do we do now?"

"We... We need to make a few adjustments on one of his next ones. And fast." The thought galvanised Fang, and she allowed Vanille to help her towards her room. "We have to. Or what happened to Ramuh will happen to Lightning."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, more information on the Ramuh incident and the events leading up to Fang's betrayal of the Defenders. Also, Fang. How could you _not_ see Barthandelus weaponising whatever he does? 
> 
> To be fair, there _was_ a thousand different ways he could have used the ore that didn't involve it becoming a torture device...


	5. Countdown on the Doomsday Clock

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The clock runs out, and Lightning and Fang need to reap what they've sown.

It took another day for Fang to smuggle Vanille a few of Barthandelus' more flawed attempts at the suppressors. Vanille spent the rest of the week covertly using her magic to _tug_ at the unique crystalline structure laced through the dark metal, just the way Barthandelus had before. The ore, Vanille had confirmed, was not from Gran Pulse.

"However," Vanille had told her as she'd examined the black, segmented metal under a microscope in the quiet of one of Barthandelus' unused labs. "What he's done is figured out how to turn this anti-elemental factor off with a specific wavelength of magic. That's why you can stand and use your powers, even though it's still on you." 

Fang had been mildly impressed that Vanille had figured out all of that on her own. It was interesting, too, that Vanille's magic didn't seem to get as badly _muted_ by the suppressor, even when she worked on it in its active state after she had worked out the 'switch'. Fang supposed that Vanille understood rocks and that there was a _lot_ she didn't know about her sister, when all was said and done.

"So he's figured out an on-off switch," Fang mused as her sister had worked in the deep night. "Is it the same mechanism as what brings on the pain?"

"The meteorite didn't originally have that effect, but neither could you just turn it off." Vanille frowned for a moment, before leaning back and rubbing her sore eyes. "So in theory, yes. It _could_ be the same thing." 

"I just need it to work in the first place. I'm not going to snap one of these onto Lightning without being sure I'm not leading her into... _that."_ Fang's mouth twisted as she remembered the pain and Barthandelus' vicious smile with a sudden vividness. "Can you untangle the mechanism, so it just stops the magic?"

"That's what I'm _trying_ to do." Vanille shot Fang a reproachful look over her shoulder. "I still need some peace, you know."

Fang had nodded at that, hooking her arms around her knees and listening to her sister mutter to herself over the thing. It was hard not to start losing it, because Fang frankly had no idea of what was going on in the world outside of Barthandelus' hidden labs. Sure, Fang had heard bits and pieces from Jihl when she bothered showed up for the woman's briefing, but word was that Lightning hadn't been seen on the streets in a number of days. 

It both relieved Fang and made her all the more nervous.

###

At the end of that first week, the results were... Imperfect. The suppressor did not do _exactly_ what it was that Fang had originally envisioned when she'd set out on this insane mission, but time was running out and it would have to do. A part of her could not help but worry - if the thing didn't work that well on Vanille, would it work like it needed to on Lightning?

"It's almost done," Vanille assured her, as Fang relentlessly paced the length of their shared room. "There is one more basic mineral component that I need to block out the effect we don't want. It'll be relatively easy to find-"

"What is it?" Fang demanded, already heading for the door when Vanille dashed after her and grabbed her forearm.

"Fang! Just wait a minute! Not only are you a wanted criminal, but Barthandelus has that _thing_ around your neck." Vanille's eyes were serious as she pulled at Fang's shoulder, trying to get her to sit down. "It'll be safer _and_ less conspicuous if I'm the one that goes."

Fang looked at her for several long moments, but Vanille met her gaze squarely and wasn't going to back down on it. Fang snorted, but her stubbornness was already wilting as she threw up her hands. She allowed Vanille to sit her down on the chair close to where the suppressor lay on Vanille's makeshift work table, but she was not pleased by it and she wanted Vanille to _know._

"You come straight back, you hear me?" Fang told her, catching Vanille's wrist when she turned to leave. "And try not to let Nabaat catch sight of you slipping out. She's still as twitchy as all hell about us."

Fang didn't have to say that the same went for Barthandelus, not with the collar tight around her throat. Vanille nodded though.

"Take the path under the docks and through the old water system. It's wide enough to walk in, and it should take you a good way into the city without being spotted by Nabaat. Or by Frost Giant, Firefly or Lightning." Fang squeezed Vanille's hand once. "I'd say good luck, but if you're careful, you won't need it."

"Besides," Vanille said with a smile as she walked toward the door. "You're the one who relies on blind luck, not me."

###

It was difficult being off-duty, no matter what Claire had promised Snow that night in the power plant. She had gone back to her job, picking up the cases that she'd neglected for the past two weeks, fielding the dwindling questions from the media and shuttling the required paperwork and statements between the ECPD and the Defenders. 

Rosch had seemed approving when Claire had crossed paths with him that morning, so she supposed that was a benefit to having been sidelined. 

Still, the urge to suit up and continue her patrols was like an itch that would not let up, made worse by the fact that the thunder magic inside her seemed to surge at unexpected moments. She'd nearly electrocuted a witness yesterday and had two apples explode in her grasp earlier that morning - it was a good reminder to keep the magic at a distance, at least for now. 

There had not been a sighting of Highwind, Barthandelus, Geogirl or Nabaat in the days following the blaze at the Museum, but Claire wasn't foolish enough to believe that the Defenders had heard the last of them. Hope still hadn't identified what Highwind might have taken, but his educated guess had been enough for Claire. 

Highwind intended to remove the threat of other elementals - of capes that could interfere - just like Ragnarok had attempted in years gone by. After Highwind achieved that goal…

Claire rolled her shoulders and flicked her wrist as she continued to walk down the busy street of downtown Eden, letting the build-up of pins and needles disperse in a small spark. She wasn't entirely sure what she was meant to be doing with all of the spare time she'd suddenly found. The Defenders and their role protecting the city had all but consumed her during the past four years, so she'd not exactly cultivated other friendships or hobbies. 

Briefly, Claire wondered what Serah would have thought of that, before shoving the morbid thought away and taking other sip of her coffee. 

Claire was almost back to her apartment when somebody bolted out of a mineral exchange shop, turned sharply, and then slammed into her - hard. Claire swore as her coffee went flying and the idiot who'd run into her went sprawling on the ground. Clenching her teeth and shaking off the scalding black coffee that was now drenching her hand and sleeve, Claire whirled around to glare at the idiot and found herself staring at an empty patch of ground.

She narrowed her eyes, watching the figure run up the busy street. Claire had almost turned away to continue the walk back to her apartment, but the figure had turned to look back, as if trying to be certain that Claire wasn't pursuing. Unfortunately, the wind chose that moment to pick up, whipping the person's hood back.

Claire would have recognised that mop of curly red hair _anywhere,_ and her immediate reaction was one of intense rage. If anything, her reaction was worse than it had been at the Museum - Snow had been _worried_ , the Defenders were dwindling in numbers, and Vanille had known exactly what Highwind and Barthandelus were after, and she knew how many people had been hurt because of them! Still Vanille followed after her damn sister, and before Claire knew it, she was sprinting after her.

Tendrils of magic flooded her mind in some sort of twisted automatic reaction to running, and Claire didn't hesitate as she reached out and seized it. The magic was like an adrenaline rush as she streaked on through the crowds, relying on her impossible reflexes to avoid every obstacle in her path, while she kept her eyes fixed on Vanille's fleeing back.

_You traitor, Vanille. Maybe when I catch you, I'll be able to force Highwind's location from you._

Claire had to take half a moment to suit up if she was going to use more speed, and the half a moment it took for her to dispose of her civilian clothing and pull on her cowl cost her dearly, because when Lightning streaked back onto the street, Vanille had commandeered some poor sucker's speeder and was blitzing down the road. 

Lightning's lips quirked as she watched Vanille streak off into the distance.

_You know my new limits better than this, Vanille. Why don't you make this a challenge?_

Drawing more heavily on her thunder magic, Lightning began to run down the centre of the busy street, feeling the electricity surge through her veins in a pleasant burn as the world became just an inconsequential blur at the edge of her vision. She came up behind Vanille in an instant-

Lightning had to break hard as the ground beneath her feet trembled, deep cracks suddenly appearing in the smooth cement before wedges of earth the size of cars lifted into the air and began to rain down on her. Lightning wasn't too concerned with her own safety - she could safely dodge any one of those rudimentary missiles, but with Vanille flinging rock everywhere, it'd be a matter of time before some innocent got flattened by the things. Lightning scowled as she dodged the next boulder thrown her way - when she'd said she wanted a challenge, she hadn't been looking for something as idiotic as this.

Reluctantly tearing her eyes away from the prize for a moment, Lightning quickly tracked the projection of all five earth missiles currently in to the air. One would impact harmlessly into a rental car bay, the other four... Lightning cursed to herself. Vanille knew how to slow her down in the absence of Snow's ice, Lightning would give her that much credit. 

Lightning flashed by a street vendor - the idiot was too busy staring after Vanille to sense the approaching danger - and shoved him harmlessly out of the way before sprinting for the next one. She heard him start to curse after her, but it was cut short as the guy yelped as the boulder smashed to the pavement to his right. 

She felt herself smile, keeping an eye fixed on Vanille's back, and the next few seconds were a blur of adrenaline as she zigzagged across the street, pushing people out of the way as Vanille continued to fling those damn boulders everywhere. As Lightning hit her stride and drew more deeply on her magic, she drew her hand back - she hadn't exactly experimented a great deal with it, aside from during her encounter with Highwind at the Museum.

The feeling of magic burned down her bicep and forearm, and a wide wave of silver lightning arced out from her outstretched hand. It impacted with the nearest of Vanille's rudimentary missiles, and the boulder disintegrated into pebbles and grit. Lightning gritted her teeth and repeated the action for the rest, feeling her arms jolt from the sudden explosion of magic down them.

As she quickly caught up to Vanille, Lightning wondered what the crowd was seeing - a Defender clashing with a new, unknown villain, or a skirmish between former friends? Lightning didn't have a further chance to think on that as Vanille - her face pale but determined - looked over her shoulder. 

The ground shook violently beneath Lightning's feet before exploding upwards, a cliff of loose-packed earth sending Lightning scrambling for a grip as it shot up into the sky from under her. Lightning's gloved fingertips tore rents in the earth as she slipped, and she swore and re-engaged her thunder magic, trusting her magic and momentum to make up for the poor traction as she raced down the vertical cliff face. 

_I'm sick of playing around,_ Lightning decided with a scowl, slowing to a stop as Vanille vanished into the distance.

###

When Vanille pulled into a quiet street not so far from Eden Harbour, Lightning was waiting for her. She slammed into the ex-Defender with a snarl, the thunder magic flowing thick through her body as she slogged Vanille solidly across the jaw. 

Vanille cried out, but didn't move to retaliate, so Lightning gripped the front of Vanille's jacket and hauled her in close, making it so the girl was off balance. Vanille's hood had fallen back during the chase, and if Lightning hadn't been so angry, she might have wondered why the girl was wearing civilian clothes and not her uniform.

"How about you tell me what's going on with Highwind and Barthandelus' plans?" Lightning demanded harshly, whirling Vanille around suddenly and slamming her back into the speeder she'd stolen. 

Vanille struggled to her feet, and Lightning watched her look around - as if for help. Lightning darted forward, carelessly using more of her magic, ignoring the fact that her reserves were still low and that she was almost _shaking._

"Lightning, you have to stop!" Vanille begged, her eyes wide and her face strangely tired. Lightning scoffed, knotting her fingers in Vanille's jacket again and pulling her close. She might not be as strong as Highwind, but the hell if she couldn't intimidate with the best of them.

"Why? So Highwind can spring her trap? So that I let you get away with _supporting_ her plans? Get real." Lightning's hand crackled with electricity again, every muscle in her body infused with it. It felt like more magic than she'd ever used before. "I'm taking you in-"

The thunder magic in her veins spiked without warning, and Lightning's fist sprang open, her hands and body beginning to shake uncontrollably. Lightning froze, staring down at her trembling hands, magic still coursing through her even though she tried to release it. She looked up to Vanille, wondering for a fleeting moment whether this was also a part of Highwind's plans. 

"Lightning!" Vanille's voice swam at the edge of Lightning's hearing, and Lightning looked up blearily as her _bones_ began to shake. The brand on her chest felt hot, impossibly so, and for a moment Lightning felt raw, primal fear. There was something wrong with her magic, and Hope had been right. Lightning closed her eyes for a moment, trying to pry the magic's hold from her mind and failing. With that option down, she had to get a hold on herself - there was no time for fear. She had to get away from Vanille, and away from _people._ She sped off in a randomly-picked direction, her body drawing more magic than she'd believed _possible_ before. 

The ground crumbled under her feet as the thunder magic pouring from her body went berserk. Lightning's mind raced, flitting between ideas and plans in rapid succession. If she stuck around then she would certainly hurt civilians and create irreparable damage. The watery expanse of Eden Harbour was out of the question with her magic forming a storm around her -

Something _snapped_ inside her chest. Burning heat flooded upwards and into her mind, and suddenly all Lightning could think of was running.

###

"Fang!" Vanille gasped out, sagging against the door of their shared room for a moment as she looked wildly around the room. Fang was on her feet immediately, her mind a blur of questions - why had Vanille taken so long, did she have the goods -

Fang froze as Vanille lowered her hood.

"Vanille, are those electrical burns?" Fang demanded, feeling her anger spike. She'd bloody kick Lightning's arse across the whole of Eden City if she had been the one who had hurt Vanille.

"It's happened, Fang!" Vanille shook Fang's shoulder when she didn't react. "Fang! Her magic has gone _mad._ She was shaking and there was thunder magic _everywhere..._ It was awful."

"It's happened," Fang repeated Vanille's words numbly, the full impact of that statement hitting her hard, like a boot to the head. _"Please_ tell me she hasn't-"

"Not yet. Her magic is so different to Ramuh's, I don't think she'll burn up the same way he did. But _her_ magic is out of control, _and_ it relies on her physical energy. That's what Hope has said about it, so..."

"If Lightning can't stop running or using her magic, her reserves will tap out and she'll die." Fang felt cold, like it wasn't happening. The suppressors weren't even finished yet, and they were out of time. She felt ill. 

Vanille had moved to the workbench, and with a flash of magic, she fused trace amounts of the new ore into the suppressors. She turned to Fang with a grim look. 

"We need to go and stop her. _You_ need to go and save her, and put these on her. They'll work... At least, I _hope_ they will. We don't have time to test..." Vanille pressed the cold, metal objects into Fang's numb hands. "Don't let everything we've had to do so far be in vain."

"Yeah." Fang nodded, tucking the suppressors into her belt pocket and clasping her sister's shoulder. She tried to smile, but only managed a twitch of her lips. "Just in case I get arrested - or killed - for my troubles, I just want to say how much your help and faith in me has meant. Get clear of the base quick, and out from under Barthandelus' thumb before he figures out I've dropped the game."

Vanille smiled, nodding, and Fang gave her an answering one as she backed away, pulling on her helmet. Fang broke into a run as she opened the door, and she shoved her way past where Nabaat had been advancing on them.

Fang didn't bother stopping to apologise to the woman, even when Nabaat shouted after her. But Nabaat would know that the game was up, and Nabaat would report it back to Barthandelus. Fang couldn't have her just running off and spoiling the party _now,_ could she?

Fang skidded to a halt, coiling her aero magic around her as she turned to look back.

"You know what, Nabaat? You were right all along." Fang grinned as Nabaat whirled around to pursue her, those heels clicking against the concrete in a purposeful, unrushed tempo. Fang drew her weapon then - while Nabaat hardly rated the effort, there was still Lightning to consider, and every second she stood here was a second wasted. 

She had to take care of Nabaat, but she had to do it quickly. 

The shadows to Fang's left began to _slither,_ as if suddenly alive, and Fang kept a steady eye on them as Nabaat approached. 

"Your little friend has made quite the mess down town," Nabaat told her, and the shadows lashed out without warning. "What have you planned?"

Fang was already moving, darting to the side and then springing up to easily evade the razor edges of the shadows. A quick blast of air from her palm dispersed the shadows, even as she landed lightly on the ground. She sprinted forward, magic whipping around her body and fending off Nabaat's hungry shadows. 

"Making amends, though after having thrown my lot in behind you and your puppet-master, I doubt I'll be forgiven." Fang grunted as her punch passed clean through Nabaat's body, and her fist impacting hard into the cement wall as the other woman _faded._

Laughter sounded from every angle, and Fang glanced about warily as she tried to tie down the source. The shadows had grown deeper now, courtesy of Nabaat's unique brand of aero magic.

"Make amends? With a past such as yours, can such a thing ever truly be achieved?" Nabaat's voice came from somewhere close to Fang's ear, and Fang whirled, razor-sharp gales of wind lashing out from her fingertips. Of course there was nothing to hit, and Fang bit off an expletive. 

"Maybe I underestimated you, Nabaat." Fang straightened, and she feverishly searched the shadows with her eyes. "You may actually be a bigger pain in the arse than what I originally credited you as."

"How very generous of you," Nabaat said from Fang's left, and the gust of wind that answered the taunt hit nothing at all.

Fang narrowed her eyes, listening carefully. 

_There._

Fang lashed forward with her lance and her air, and she caught Nabaat in the stomach and launched her upwards with all the strength Fang could muster. She was just a little smug when the force of her blow sent the other woman straight through the cement ceiling of the hidden laboratory and into the daylight beyond. Fang sheathed her weapon on her belt and vaulted up through the hole. Nabaat wasn't moving, and Fang couldn't find it in herself to care whether she'd inadvertently killed the woman.

Fang grinned to herself as she began to run, because _that_ exit would give Vanille the sort of distraction she needed to get away from Barthandelus and Nabaat's clutches. Things could only go upwards from there.

All she had to do was save Lightning's life, now. Somehow Fang doubted that would be an easy task.

###

Hope was bent over a sample of mineral, examining and mapping the odd design in the rock's surface when the alert went off over on his feeds. He still didn't hurry over to the console, musing to himself that he would need to show the sample to Vanille when she returned. The Defenders didn't need any further things cropping up to blindside them, and if anything, Ramuh's experiment in the central core at the Eden Power Plant showed there was still so _little_ they understood. 

Snow had heard the alert, though, and had immediately barrelled through the door and into the quiet of Hope's lab - Hope didn't bother batting an eyelid as he continued to sketch the mineral in his hands. If it was important, he was certain Snow would let him know. Loudly. Until then he would continue to work undisturbed -

"Hope, you'd better come look at this." Snow's voice was low, and Hope frowned. Was it his imagination, or did he actually hear a strangled note of _panic?_ He carefully placed the mineral back in its container, and hurried over to where Snow was staring at the feed.

As Hope turned his attention to the screen, he saw _exactly_ what was so horrifying. 

Lightning was in uniform - Hope wanted to grab her and shake some sense into her for _that_ alone - but it was the electrical storm raging all around her, as she ran through Eden's downtown area, that made Hope go cold. 

It was the electrical storm more than anything that was causing widespread damage to the area, and the fact that she wasn't stopping... Likely, she couldn't stop. Hope swore to himself, bringing up as many feeds as he could. The news reports flowing in on the topic were far from flattering, but that was the least of their concerns.

When Fang had come to Hope when Ramuh spontaneously combusted in front of her, they'd talked. She'd tried to pump him for information on just what he'd done to Lightning at the Power Plant, and in the end they'd theorised that the worst case scenario would be the same occurring to Lightning. _This_... He wasn't sure whether this was better or worse. 

He still didn't understand _why_ this was happening! His eyes narrowed as he cycled through his feeds, catching a familiar flash of dark armour in the debris and chaos. He felt a surge of relief. That meant that Highwind had played Barthandelus long enough to get him to create the device. At least, that was what he hoped. 

Snow hadn't noticed her yet, his eyes still desperately tracking Lightning's destructive path through the city. "Don't just _stand_ there, Lightning is -" 

"Taken care of." Hope finished for him, gesturing to Highwind as she charged between crumbling buildings and through wrecked roads. "She's got the suppressors, just like we planned. Never thought we'd be cutting it so close."

Judging by the perplexed look on Snow's face, Hope might as well have been talking gibberish. Perfect. Snow shook his head, the motion slow at first. 

"Whoa, back the hell up. You're saying you were in on Fang's little party with Barthandelus? All this time?!" Snow's blue eyes were wide, and there was a funny set to his jaw. Hope wasn't quite sure whether that was a good sign or a bad one. 

There was no need to keep Fang's cover anymore though, not when she'd blown it so soundly herself. He just hoped that Snow understood why the deception had been necessary - and why they'd needed to use Barthandelus' expertise. Snow was staring at him, and then looked back to the computer screen, to where they could see Lightning tearing up the city. 

"The explanations are gonna have to wait," Hope eventually said, inputting Sazh's number and letting the system dial out for him. "Highwind's 'betrayal' and breaking Barthandelus out of prison... It's all been a part of the plan. From day one. And if we don't do something soon, Lightning will go the same way as Ramuh - up in smoke as her magic overwhelms her."

"Ramuh?" Snow's eyes widened. "Then what happened to Ramuh is-"

"Right. Our other option seems to be Lightning running herself to death." Hope turned to him, bracing himself. He was under no illusions about the shady nature of the plan, but he couldn't afford to bow to his guilt just yet. "You gonna help me or arrest me, Snow? It's your choice."

###

Downtown Eden looked like a war zone, Fang realised with an ill feeling in her stomach as she jumped over debris and between the damaged buildings. She'd never known Lightning's brand of thunder magic to do damage like that, but with Ramuh's work wreaking havoc on her system, there was little telling what else was going to happen. 

Fang bent to examine the scorch marks on the corner of one building, where bricks had been torn free and the glass windows shattered by the localised lightning storm the speedster was dragging around with her as she ran. Etro, if Lightning wasn't in a right mind to stay away from populated areas...

Fang's lips thinned as she straightened, and she drew her lance from its place at her belt. The weapon was a reassuring weight in her hands as she continued to thread her way through the rubble, and in the distance, she heard an explosion. That explosion was quickly followed by a dangerous rumble, and Fang's eyes tracked the cloud of dust and smoke rising between the buildings.

Her jaw set stubbornly as she moved out onto the cracked and wrecked street, her magic curling about her defensively, so that she was in plain view of -

The furious electrical storm seemed to pull and lick at the damaged buildings lining the main street as something black, red and gold blurred by, faster than Fang could track. She stared after the tornado of thunder magic as it streaked on through the city, apparently heedless of her presence. Fang's teeth clenched as she coughed on smoke and dust - the fact that Lightning had not registered her presence at all was another less-than-ideal sign.

A part of Fang began to wonder if there was going to be anything left of Lightning to save.

###

Lightning couldn't see or hear anything over the crackle of thunder magic through her body. She felt oddly alone, as if everything in the world had boiled down to the magic and the feeling of endless motion. Lightning stumbled again, and at the edge of her awareness she realised that she was getting tired, and she knew she couldn't keep running and burning off magic like she was. The vague notion slipped away as the static rose in her mind again. 

A deep roar rose over the static of the magic in her head, and it broke the feeling of isolation abruptly. Lightning slowed down for half a moment as she instinctively looked over her shoulder, seeing a whole damn building crash to the street. 

_...what?_

When Lightning saw Highwind land in the wreckage and wave to her, everything suddenly felt clear, and her scattered thoughts aligned perfectly. She exploded toward Highwind.

###

It seemed that even drunk on a haze of magic, Lightning still hated Fang strongly enough turn around and take her out. Fang tried not to think about how she felt about that.

As Fang landed in the rubble of the empty building she'd taken down, she had just enough time to realise that her plan had worked, gather her magic around her, and prepare for impact. Because Etro, if she didn't do it perfectly, she was as good as dead. 

Lightning hit her with more force than a runaway train - which Fang had thankfully dealt with before - and Fang caught her on the pole of her lance. Her knees began to buckle and her arms shook, but just as Fang was certain that her armour and strength were going to fail her, and Lightning was going to smash her by sheer speed alone, Fang released her pent up magic and pushed back with everything she had. It was just enough to slow Lightning down - and no matter how close to broken the bones in her wrists and arms felt at that moment, Fang needed to take advantage of the opening she'd made. 

With a roar, Fang launched Lightning skyward with her lance, away from the ground and the traction that kept her running and dangerous. She cried out as her vision swam from the pain - Vanille was going to kick her arse for this if she made it out alive - before forcing herself to trust in her healing factor. She staggered a little as she crouched, and then jumped to meet Lightning's decent. 

The feel of Lightning's body impacting against her own abused one nearly had Fang blacking out. It was only through sheer force of will that Fang ignored the pain, and held on tight to Lightning as they fell to the ground. 

When they hit the ground, Fang was still clinging to the speedster like her life depended on it, and the electrical storm coming from Lightning was still raging. She felt Lightning shudder and jerk in her arms as the magic burned through her reserves like a forest on fire. Fang bit back a curse as Lightning tried to surge to her feet, fighting against Fang's hold on her with a strength that seemed at odds with the way her magic was reducing her to skin and bones. Muscle, fat, _flesh_ \- it was all being eaten away in before Fang's eyes. She shoved Lightning back down with maybe more force than was needed, and she reached into her belt pouch and grabbed the suppressors. 

She snapped them around Lightning's thin wrists without any hesitation, praying that Vanille had tweaked Barthandelus' creation just right and that it would do what was needed. The wide, gold bracelets stood out brightly against the black of Lightning's costume, but the electrical storm emanating from the brand on her chest flickered and faded away. 

Lightning's shuddering stopped, and for one frozen moment as Fang leaned over her, she was worried that she'd acted too late. Finally, Lightning sucked in a shaky and laboured breath, and Fang exhaled and tilted her head back. The sudden absence of battle and the roar of the localised thunderstorm made the sudden silence that had fallen over downtown Eden seem deafening, and Fang began to laugh. She felt like she was shaking in relief herself as she realised that it had _worked._ Lightning was safe, and that meant that everything Fang had gone through had been worth it after all. 

Her dizzying happiness faded as she looked down at Lightning again. Lightning's breath was raspy and shallow, and through Fang's hold on her body, Fang realised she was still shaking. She had to get Lightning help, Fang decided, and with a groan, she released her hold on Lightning's body. Her healing factor had kicked in slowly enough, thanks to the residual effects of having been exposed to so much of the meteorite over the past two weeks, but at least her wrists didn't feel as if they were broken anymore. 

Sometimes, when she didn't hate Doctor Odine with the intense fire of a million suns, she was actually a little grateful to him.

Healing factor or not, when she bent and lifted Lightning from the ground, her body still caned and for a moment she thought she was about to drop the other woman. She steadied herself just in time as she bit back another groan, and with a deep breath to galvanise herself, she began to run for the nearest hospital. 

_West Eden,_ Fang decided as she jumped over and between buildings. She drew deeply on her aero element to make her footing surer and to give her the extra strength to make jumps she was far too exhausted to make. Thankfully, Fang hit her rhythm fairly quickly, narrowing her focus to a needlepoint as she ran on -

Pain exploded from everywhere at once, burning like fire under her skin, and Fang cried out as she stumbled her next jump and crashed down on the edge of the building. In spite of the pain she'd managed to turn herself, taking the impact on her back instead of falling on the fragile speedster that had been in her arms. The pain was blinding though, and Fang bit her lip hard enough to taste blood as she rallied herself just enough to push herself up and onto her elbows. 

In her hurry to stop Lightning and then in fighting Jihl Nabaat, Fang had forgotten to get Vanille to remove the collar. She swore at herself as fresh pain coursed through her body, and she looked up to find Barthandelus floating down from above like a parody of an angel. 

Fang tried to force herself to her feet as Barthandelus landed on the opposite side of the rooftop, but her strength had fled her and her elemental stone felt like a dead rock buried in the flesh of her shoulder. _Shit._

Barthandelus approached her and Lightning slowly, and his staff clicked a tempo on the weathered concrete rooftop that seemed both deliberate and threatening, and suddenly Fang was looking up into his silver and gold face. 

"You thought you could play a magic master such as me?" Barthandelus smiled at that, as if it had all been a grand trick. "No matter your past, no matter what you were, I have unimaginable power at my beck and call. You are naught but a pawn in my games. One would think you would have learned this, leashed as you are."

Pain surged again, and this time Fang was certain her body was going to explode with it before it finally ebbed. Her ears were ringing, but she could still hear him _laughing_ at her as she tried to struggle to her feet to continue the fight. Lightning, on the rooftop only a pace away, was unconscious and still needed medical attention. Etro, the _pain_ though... 

For Lightning, Fang had to do it. She couldn't lose now.

Fang's breath froze in her throat as Barthandelus looked away from her. With a contemptuous look, he extended his staff, and he used it to lift one of Lightning's hands to examine the segmented, gold metal around her each of her wrists.

"Don't you - don't you think about touching those -" Fang choked on her own words as Barthandelus flicked his wrist dismissively, but this time it was not enough to stop her. Fang stretched out uselessly for the unconscious speedster, muscles knotting against the pain, and suddenly Barthandelus foot impacted with her breastplate, impossibly heavy and coursing with magic. 

"Such interesting craftsmanship," Barthandelus said, and the sunlight gleamed off the segments as he continued to examine the suppressors. "Though _admirable,_ your intentions in saving your friend are ultimately futile."

Fang didn't answer, because she refused to play his game. Her breath was coming hard though, and she bit the inside of her cheek as the weight on her chest seemed to increase tenfold. Etro, that had to be some sort of earth magic trick...

"You thought you could save your friend through _using_ me, and while I allowed it for a time... You shall writhe in pain as I remove your pale imitations of my work and simply watch her burn up, just as Ramuh did." Barthandelus smiled down at Fang then as she struggled uselessly under the immense weight of his magic. "And then you will die. I have no need of pawns who do not know their place."

There was a roar of engines from above, and Barthandelus just had enough time to look up when something dark and fiery impacted with him, knocking him clean off the roof and into the wall of jagged, glacial ice that surged up to meet him. The pain shooting through Fang's body eased abruptly, and gasping for breath, she rolled to her feet and clambered over to where Lightning lay. 

Fang brushed Lightning's cheek with the back of her hand, and the other woman's blue eyes flickered open for a moment before unconsciousness claimed her again. Fang checked the suppressors that Barthandelus had been examining with such a critical eye - there was nothing to say that he'd deactivated them yet. Maybe there was still hope. 

Assured of Lightning's ongoing safety for the time being, Fang glanced up as Firefly and Frost Giant landed on the rooftop next to her. 

_"That_ little trick should give us a few minutes," Frost Giant said with a laugh as he cracked his knuckles.

What were they playing at? Fang's eyes narrowed, and she instinctively reached for her lance as they slowly approached her. Frost Giant, under his fur-lined hood and ski-goggles, looked both surprised and a little dismayed by the hostile gesture, but Fang held firm. What did they want with her? Fang wasn't going to come quietly, not with Lightning's life still on the line. 

"Enough of that," Firefly told her quietly, spreading his hands peacefully. "The fact that you immediately went to check on thunder-girl over there tells me that Alexander has the right of it."

"I'm just mad none of them decided to bring us in on it from the start." Frost Giant shook his head, finally cracking a smile as he looked over to Fang. "Thought you needed a hand. Strong as you are, nobody can take Dysley alone."

Fang scoffed, but she felt more exhausted than ever. "I see Alexander blew my cover."

"Only after you blew it yourself," Alexander retorted as he landed next to Fang. She was too tired to shove him out of the way as he knelt by Lightning, his bare fingertips running over the segments of the suppressors. 

Fang instinctively reached for the one around her throat, tugging at the metal futilely. Etro, only Vanille knew how to get the thing off, and she was far away and safe from all of this -

"Highwind!" a familiar voice shouted, and the door to the stairwell on the rooftop burst open. Geogirl, in full uniform no less, ran across the rooftop and hugged Fang quickly. 

Of course Vanille hadn't listened to her, Fang realised sourly. When did Vanille _ever_ listen to her anyway? Fang was glad to see her, though, and not only for the fact that Geogirl immediately reached out at removed the damn collar from around her neck. Fang accepted the dormant loop of metal back from Geogirl without a word, and she slipped it into the pocket at her side. Of course Alexander would want to look at it later. She supposed that was fair. 

"You alright though, Highwind?" Frost Giant asked, and Fang nodded. 

"Better now than before. You all have good timing, though... I'm not sure why _any_ of you are here." She shot a severe look over her shoulder to both Geogirl and Alexander, and neither of them had the decency to look ashamed of themselves.

There was an explosion of ice and fire from below, followed by an enraged roar. Whatever it was that Frost Giant had done to keep the bastard contained, it wasn't working any longer. Fang's jaw clenched as she raised her lance, while both Frost Giant and Firefly instinctively moved in front of her and Lightning. Geogirl and Alexander moved into position behind her, and Fang felt the hair stir on the back of her neck as magic surged. 

"The Defenders are family, and we stick together through thick and thin." Frost Giant grinned and pumped a fist, looking over his shoulder at Fang, while Firefly nodded and Geogirl whooped. "We'll talk about the last few weeks - for now, we've got to make things right and stick this son of a bitch back in Bodhum Prison where he belongs!"

Fang frankly didn't deserve such faith and compassion, but she was glad to have it all the same. 

"Sounds like a plan." Fang felt herself smile.


	6. All Comes Crashing Down

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's the final battle with Barthandelus. What exactly does he want with Fang?

As Barthandelus roared and smashed his way free of the glacier that Frost Giant had _subtly_ formed in the middle of downtown Eden, Fang had to grudgingly shoot a smile over to the hooded hero. No wonder he'd been so sure it would buy them a little time - that was no small feat, even if he'd likely involved Alexander's water magic in it somehow.

"Galenth 'Barthandelus' Dysley," Alexander said, calibrating the small computer mounted into his gauntlet with quick fingers as he stepped forward to Fang's side. "According to our data, he holds some form of each of the water, thunder, quake and aero elements."

From somewhere below them, ice shattered, and as Barthandelus rose into the air with nothing to aid him but his aero magic, Fang could practically feel the power storming and radiating about him. Her teeth clenched - if she'd thought Lightning had been channelling an impossible amount of magic before...

 _The bigger they are, the harder they fall,_ Fang reminded herself, limbering her grip on her weapon as she felt the wind pick up into a howl in her ears and watched more of Barthandelus' magic rip free crumbling pieces of nearby buildings. _That doesn't mean felling him is going to be easy._

Shielding her eyes against the wind, Fang squinted over at where Geogirl stood by Lightning. She really hated to ask it of her sister, but... 

"Can you-"

"I'm on it!" Geogirl told her in a voice mostly snatched away by the gale-force wind. True to her word, she knelt smoothly by Lightning's side and carefully gathered her up. It still made Fang sick to the stomach to see Lightning _like_ that, but if there was anyone that Fang trusted to keep her safe, it was Vanille. 

Barthandelus' tornado released with a roar, and Fang's skin prickled as he looked down upon them all like some sort of wannabe god.

"Tricks such as yours are but meaningless distractions," Barthandelus told Frost Giant, levelling the staff in his hands at the hero. The gems embedded in the golden metal glowed hot like the sun, and the air split as a thunderbolt streaked from the tip of his staff. Fang dodged, Firefly rocketed away, and Frost Giant threw up a wall of ice for him and Alexander to shelter behind.

"With much at stake and a new world order to bring about, I've little time for your games." Barthandelus tracked Firefly's twists and turns through the air, sending bolt after bolt to bring him down. 

"We're not letting this go without so much as a protest. You want Highwind? You want the world? I'm afraid you're going to have to go through us, first." Firefly hit the brakes, reversing his flight abruptly and sending a belching flame directly into Barthandelus' face. 

Fang knew better than to hope the bastard had been injured, not when Barthandelus' energy shields parted the roaring flames as if they were nothing more than a warm breeze. Firefly was already rocketing away from him by the time Barthandelus swung around to blast him with water, while to Fang's right, Frost Giant hit the ground running, intent on charging head-first into the fight like the hothead he was. Fang followed on, sending a raw gust of razor wind to distract Barthandelus from Frost Giant's attack.

Alexander darted back at the same moment, quickly putting distance between himself and the sorcerer. The water magic lashing from his hands purposed not for damage but for analytics, as he focused on finding and exploiting the flaws in Barthandelus' damn shields before retreating to guide their attacks.

Out of the corner of her eye, Fang watched Vanille slip over the side of the building with Lightning. Her heart clenched.

_Light... Keep her safe, Vanille. I trust you._

Fang roared and slashed at Barthandelus's shield, and as the sorcerer contemptuously raised his hand, she pivoted and narrowly avoided the bolt of lightning that raced from his palm. She steadied herself with wind currents, using the flow of the air to guide her strikes and evasions. She craned her neck to look up as she narrowly avoided a rapid-fire blast of fire magic - Firefly was streaking down from the sky at a break-neck speed, seizing Barthandelus' attention and creating more openings. 

To her left, Frost Giant blocked a torrent of water on a shield of ice, his hands moving quickly as he took command of Barthandelus' summoned water and turning them to razor-sharp shards. He grinned, and slammed his fist into the ground. The shards launched, impacting hard against Barthandelus' shields, and as the sorcerer turned to put Frost Giant back in his place, Fang launched herself at his side. She battered at the energy shield for a moment, but she lingered too long, and the resulting explosion of power threw her back to the building's edge. 

_Damn,_ Fang cursed, her breath coming hard as she swung her lance down, currents of aero whirling around the blade. 

_"Highwind. You still have the collar he created, right?"_ Alexander's voice in her ear took her by surprise, since she'd long-since ditched her Defender's comm. link for the one Nabaat issued her. Of course, a little thing like that would never stand in Alexander's way, not as he found a hiding place and directed the Defenders like pieces on a chess board.

"Yep." Fang ground the words out as she slunk back toward the fight, her eyes narrowed as she tried to wait for the best possible moment to re-engage and give Frost Giant and Firefly a chance to hammer the bastard hard.

_"If you get in close enough, I bet you it'll work on him, too."_

Now _that_ idea appealed to Fang, and she smiled viciously as she circled closer to the sorcerer. The collar still hung at her belt, not just a reminder of how badly she'd planned her mission, but now as a way to end the fight with Barthandelus on the losing side.

"I'm listening, but I think it's activated by a quake-type spell. You'll need to get Vanille back to finish the job." 

Alexander scoffed. _"You know that's not a problem. The real challenge will be catching him off guard long enough to lock it on."_

"Consider it done." Fang exhaled sharply, and with a roar, she launched herself at Barthandelus's side as Firefly began to line up a pyro blast with enough energy to level a small building.

###

Vanille was no Highwind when it came to strength, but she managed to get Lightning back to ground level without too many mishaps, and she'd almost dropped Lightning only once. She managed to put a bit of space between them and the fight with Barthandelus, but if she craned her neck and twisted just so, she'd be able to keep an eye on the rest of them in case of an emergency. 

Propping Lightning up against the crumbling brick wall, Vanille winced as she looked into Lightning's gaunt face and at the bones protruding from her collarbone and rib cage. Fang had made it in time, but only barely. At the rate of magical usage that Vanille had sensed back at the start, and as intricately tied to metabolism as it had been... 

Vanille closed her eyes and reached out with her delving magic, checking for Lightning's vitals. Heart rate could be better, breathing was shallow, but all in all Vanille had expected worse. Something felt a little off about Lightning's body, and not because of the bracelets. She drew more deeply on her magic, looking far deeper than she normally would have ever considered -

_That's a little odd._

The elemental stone buried under the mark on Lightning's chest looked misshapen, like there was some sort of additional growth fusing onto it - like there were _two_ gems fusing together. If they interacted badly while fusing, if they were unstable until they adapted to one another... Vanille frowned, opening her eyes and rocking back on her heels. Was that what had happened to Ramuh? Without having been there when he burned up, it was too hard to tell. 

Out of the corner of her eye, Vanille saw shadows slither along the edge of the building, and she knew immediately that Jihl Nabaat had arrived. A few moments later, Vanille heard the tap of boots on the ruined pavement and looked up sharply. The woman emerged from the shadows, apparently unconcerned that Vanille had spotted her. Instead, she placed a hand on her hip as she looked down at Lightning over the frames of her glasses. 

"Highwind tried to manipulate the wrong people, and all for the sake of _this_ one." Jihl looked thoughtful as her eyes roved Lightning. "What makes her so special, to gain such devotion from such a creature?"

Vanille tensed. 

"Highwind has always been devoted," Vanille said slowly, rising to her feet and locking eyes with Nabaat. Vanille remembered how Fang had called the woman a sadist, one worse than Barthandelus himself. She wasn't about to underestimate Nabaat, especially after she'd given Fang a run for her money not an hour ago.

"Unusual, given her origins. I very much doubted she was _capable_ of it." Nabaat smiled then, cold and cruel. "Does that analysis bother you?"

Vanille didn't answer, letting the magic pooling around her speak for itself. Nabaat laughed softly, as if amused.

"Intriguing as Highwind's uncharacteristic _infatuation_ is, Barthandelus has given me the strictest orders." Nabaat swept her arms wide, not even bothering to hide the shadows that crept toward Vanille from every angle. "We will bring Highwind low, and better way to do so than to kill the ones she loves the most?"

Vanille whirled, bricks and mortar erupting from the side of the building as iron rods and steel beams smashed free and slammed into the ground where Nabaat had been standing. Vanille didn't let up, guiding an avalanche of sharp bricks and iron with her hands, letting it follow Nabaat's every scrambled move. The woman did not seem so calm and collected now, and Vanille smiled brightly at her as she forced Nabaat back down the alleyway, away from Lightning.

"I may be the 'nice' one..." Vanille told Nabaat over the roar of debris smashing against the concrete ground, and she sharply evaded shadows that lashed out from the side of the building. "But don't mistake me for an easy target!"

###

The bastard was far too strong, Fang realised bitterly as Barthandelus cast a lazy wave of thunder at her that she avoided without even breaking her stride as she ran at him. He was not even damn well looking in her direction, as if he didn't care whether he caught her or not! For someone so damn angry about having been manipulated, he sure was focusing a lot on Frost Giant and Firefly. 

Firefly was down, though, slumped at Barthandelus' feet. Fang saw him try to crawl to his feet, saw him stare up at Barthandelus through his crackled and ruined gas mask. Fang didn't hesitate as she sprinted on past where Frost Giant had hunkered behind a slab of ice, and she dodged past razor gales and redirected blasts of water with her lance as she charged -

Fang heard Frost Giant roar in pain as Barthandelus blew him sky-high in a torrent of thundaga and aeroga, but she couldn't afford to spare the hero a glance as she ran for' that blind spot, trying to do anything to take his attention off of Firefly to give the man a chance to right himself. Fang's wind-charged lance skittered harmlessly off of Barthandelus' energy shields, not even forcing so much as a flinch. 

Frost Giant landed - hard - on another building, and he didn't get up. 

Fang went cold, raising her lance to squarely block the next of Barthandelus' lightning strikes, but she couldn't take her eyes off of where Frost Giant had fallen. Snow would get the hell up, Fang told herself harshly, and he was made of tougher business than that -

Out of the corner of her eye, Fang saw Barthandelus raise his staff, and Frost Giant roared in pain as he clutched at something dark around his wrist. 

_Oh Etro no..._

Fang turned her gaze back to Barthandelus, and then to Firefly, feeling as though her stomach had turned to lead between on instant and the next. So that was what Barthandelus' game had been - to take out the heroes, just so she could see them suffer! She had just enough time to bite out a curse as she felt his magic swell to a roar around her. 

She felt her grip slip on her lance, and then felt the cutting wind and lightning tear it clean from her grasp. Fang threw her arms up to block the worst of the burning magic, and no matter how hard she strained, she felt herself get inexorably forced backward, felt herself give ground under the onslaught. She couldn't take much more, not after having fought so hard to save Lightning...

Thunder magic lashed at her armour, striking hard against her until Fang smelt burning. She fell to one knee, and she gritted her teeth, staring balefully up at Barthandelus as she forced herself up again. She would not kneel to him, and no matter what, she would not _break._ Fang heard the sound of concrete cracking, and she froze. Deep fault lines spidered out on the roof's scorched surface, with Barthandelus as its centre -

Fang heard the roof shatter beneath her feet before she felt it, and faltering, tapped-out aero magic was not enough to keep her from plummeting into the darkness.

###

When Lightning finally woke up, her head was swimming but free of the static that had flooded her thoughts before. She felt so _weak_ though, her energy and body drained worse than it had ever been before. Her arms shook as she tried to lift them to rub at her face, the bones of her hands under the covering of her suit stood out like she'd been starving herself for a month. 

_Etro..._ Lightning breathed inside the quiet of her mind, her stomach lurching. Her breath caught strangely in her throat, and she convulsed as she coughed hard enough to make her entire body shake. Her energy was gone, and Hope had been right all along. She remembered her abuse of power when she'd chased Vanille - 

Lightning's attention span was so short and fuzzy, but she tried to force herself to focus as she heard the sounds of battle raging all around.

The last thing that Lightning consciously remembered was charging at Highwind when the woman had confronted her in downtown Eden. Hitting the woman at that speed would have surely killed her, and Lightning's heart twisted. She wanted to feel like the woman had gotten her just reward for betraying them, but all she felt was a raw sense of loss, worse than ever before. 

The sound of rock and debris crunching reminded Lightning of the unknown battle all around her, and she looked up to see shadows swelling and lashing out at someone in browns and whites - Lightning's eyes narrowed slowly, because Geogirl had betrayed them just as Highwind had. The fact that Geogirl was now fighting Jihl Nabaat - Barthandelus' highest minion - didn't escape her attention, and with a low groan, Lightning pushed herself away from the wall she'd been propped up against. Her shaking arms very nearly gave out on her, but somehow she managed to stay upright. 

"It would seem as if your _patient_ has awoken."

Lightning looked up sharply as she recognised Nabaat's cool tones, the words seeming to come from everywhere in the alleyway at once as she vanished from where Geogirl had caught her in the grasp of an enormous stone hand. She heard Geogirl gasp, and in spite of her exhaustion and the awfulness of what had happened last time, Lightning stretched out for her magic. She couldn't let Nabaat win, even if it cost her -

There was nothing there, Lightning realised, her eyes widening in shock as she reached out again and again, coming up empty handed each time. Lightning stared down at where her hands were braced against the rubble-strewn pavement, looking wildly from one golden bracelet to the next. Fang had done _something._ It was the only explanation that Lightning could think of. 

Lightning twitched as she heard water explode from somewhere high above, and she saw Frost Giant thrown like a rag doll through the air. If Nabaat was there, so was Barthandelus, and that meant that _Fang_ -

 _Shit. What have you done, Fang?_ Lightning's breath was ragged, and she looked back to Geogirl sharply just in time to see Nabaat materialise from the shadows like a phantom. Nabaat lashed out with her baton, striking Geogirl across the back of her head hard enough to _kill._ Geogirl fell with a cry, but Nabaat cut it short as shadows wrapped around the girl's throat. 

Geogirl stopped struggling far too quickly, even as Lightning drew on her blocked magic in vain. Lightning swore violently and smashed her hand against the ground, her breath coming in harsh gasps as she tried to surge to her feet and stop Nabaat from hurting Vanille any longer. It seemed to get Nabaat's attention, because suddenly she dropped Vanille and had turned her attention back to Lightning.

Lightning felt a heavy pressure on her back slam her back to the ground, shadows pinning her down to the ground with horrific ease. She could see Vanille's blood, Lightning realised, feeling ill. Etro, what had they done to Fang if Vanille was on the last line of defence?

Lightning stared up at Jihl Nabaat as she approached, anger and hate roaring inside her as she pushed up against her bonds. Barthandelus was crazy, but Nabaat had no such excuse. She was just the sort of sadist that Armageddon had been, in the business to hurt as many people as benefitted her. Serah wouldn't have let Nabaat keep her down, but with almost nothing left and her magic lost to her, Lightning's shaking arms gave out as she crumpled to the ground, panting. 

Nabaat knelt next to her, seemingly unconcerned with Lightning's efforts to free herself.

"I wonder. Who lies behind the mask that is so important to her, that she would attempt to play the most powerful sorcerer in all the thirteen cities?" Nabaat asked softly, and as Lightning tried to lash out at her again, tried to defend herself, Nabaat pulled the cowl back. 

"The ECPD liaison. How anti-climactic." Nabaat pulled the cowl forward again with a soft laugh, pushing her wire-framed glasses down the bridge of her nose to consider Lightning more carefully as she contacted Barthandelus. 

Lightning stared at where Vanille lay, feeling numb. Just like that, and her secret had been exposed? She supposed it had only been a matter of time. She wondered what Nabaat would do with that information, and what _Barthandelus_ would do. Her eyes narrowed then, because was it her imagination, or had Vanille's eyelids flickered? Lightning pushed her surge of hope down, looking back to Nabaat sharply. 

"I've secured them. What do you want done?" Nabaat's eyes flickered back to Lightning's. "It'll be my pleasure."

###

_"Fang? Fang!"_ Alexander roared in Fang's earpiece as she sluggishly struggled her way back to consciousness. His voice helped pull her along, insistent buzzing in her ear that made her want to swat him and hug him all at once. She felt like she'd been trampled as she tried to push herself up, debris falling away from her battered body as her eyes scanned the pale circle of light falling on her from above. 

"I'm... I'm here," she ground out with a low groan, searching blindly for her lance. She couldn't make it out in the darkness beyond, and she swore softly. 

_"We need to get out of here,"_ Alexander told her. _"We need to fall back and regroup, he's far too strong!"_

Fang closed her eyes, smiling bitterly. She'd royally fucked up by jumping the gun and going to Barthandelus; Alexander didn't have to say it aloud for it to be the truth. She'd been so _desperate_ though, and she'd never expected that things would have gotten so far out of hand. It would have been better for the Defenders to have left her to reap her just desserts, notions of family be damned. 

"We can't run." Fang kept her voice low. "If we run, he'll kill Frost Giant and Firefly, maybe even Geogirl and Lightning... If we run, we expose them all to danger. I _can't_ run."

_"Damnit Fang-"_

"Don't mistake that truth for me just rolling over and waiting to die," Fang growled, and magic flared from above. She craned her neck upwards, shielding her eyes from the blinding light with the back of her arm. Barthandelus was on his way down, ready to have her kneel at his feet like a beaten dog. She touched the icy black collar at her belt, ignoring the sense of foreboding it gave her. 

Fang would have news for him, if he thought it would be so easy to beat _her._

She lashed out with magic as Barthandelus descended, razor sharp and buffeting gales that would have shredded any other supervillain, but he cast them to either side of himself with sharp gestures of his hands each time. Fang's jaw clenched as she tried to run back through the rubble, trying to gain some breathing space. 

Barthandelus' magic surged, the broken building under Fang's feet coming alive even as he landed softly in the light. She ran just ahead of the flood of debris with every wind current she could muster guiding and aiding her footsteps. The collar was frozen and heavy in her hands-

The hair on the back of Fang's neck stood on end as he smiled at her, and the wave of debris that had only _just_ been dogging her footsteps surged anew and smashed her straight through the nearest wall and into the open air beyond. Fang drew blood from her lip as she bit back her pain, struggling to her feet as she searched the area wildly for the collar. She spotted it a few paces away, and as she ran for it, she heard Barthandelus start to laugh. 

Solid waves of air slammed into her chin and gut, knocking her from her feet. A massive force bore down on her, forcing her down to her knees when she tried to find her feet. Fang spat blood onto the rubble-strewn road, glaring at him with every shred of hatred she could manage.

"She remains defiant." Nabaat's voice was cool and collected as she seemed to condense from the growing shadows of the ruined buildings, and Fang was viciously pleased to see that someone had given her the beginnings of a black eye. 

That new injury should really have tipped her off, Fang realised with a lurch as Nabaat reached into the shadows behind her and pulled out Lightning. Fang's breath froze in her throat - Lightning was meant to be with Vanille, and if Nabaat had Lightning, then that meant only one thing.

"What'd you do with Vanille?" Fang demanded, trying to control her desperate panic and failing. Nabaat had blood on her clothes - was it from her own injuries, or was it Vanille's? Fang felt frozen in place, hoping to whatever deity was listening that Vanille was alive. 

"Indeed." Barthandelus looked over to Nabaat, his ire obvious on his metal features. 

Nabaat crossed her arms, smiling coolly at him. "She's been taken care of. She unfortunately... Fought too hard."

 _"No!"_ Fang roared as she tried to surge to her feet, earning herself a strike across the jaw with a wave of air that felt _solid._ Fang felt more blood run down her chin, and the inside of her mouth stung from where she'd bitten through the inside of her cheek.

Barthandelus hadn't even goddamn looked at her.

 _"Vanille!"_ Fang tried again, her muscles screaming and knotting as she tried to rise to her feet. She lashed out with wind blasts, but he was more of a master of aero magic than she ever was and he neutralised her waves of air with brutal efficiency.

He really was toying with her. He'd dangled success in front of her, he'd agreed to making the suppressors in spite of claiming to know her plans, he targeted her family, all for what? Fang stared at him, and then looked to Lightning, who was awake now. She didn't look so crash-hot, like she was struggling to maintain attention at all. If she didn't get up _now..._

"Know your place." Barthandelus smiled at her as the weight bearing down on her shoulders seemed to quadruple, and her arms almost gave out on her. "Consider the loss of your friend to be the first repayment in your debt to me. Nabaat. Remove the suppressing agent from the speedster, and allow us to watch her burn."

Fang's breath caught, and she met Lightning's eyes.

_Why do I fail to protect the ones I love?_

Out of the corner of her eye, Fang could see the collar on the ground, the band of dark metal. So close, but too far away.

###

With a great difficulty, Lightning followed the direction of Fang's fleeting look. There was something in the rubble off to the side, half-visible - a dark, segmented band of metal. Lightning's eyes flickered down to the metal above each of her wrists, noting the similarities and differences in a blur. They were what held her magic away from her - she'd bet anything that the one over there would do the same. 

Still held immobile by Nabaat's shadows, Lightning watched the other woman reach down, examining the gold bands with a careful eye. Lightning swallowed her urge to lash out violently at the other woman, trying to fool them into thinking she was beaten down and helpless. She had only one chance at what she planned, and she had to try to maintain focus. The memory of overwhelming static filling her mind was troubling, and worse, Lightning knew that there was no return once she played her hand. 

Lightning closed her eyes for a moment. She had to take the gamble, for Snow, Sazh, Hope, Vanille, _Fang._ Fang might not have been able to beat the speed of Barthandelus' energy shields, but Lightning was the fastest woman alive. If anyone could get that thing on Barthandelus, it was her. 

Even if it meant the end, she could do it, and because she _could_ she had an obligation to try. 

At least she'd finally see Serah again, and Lightning felt herself smile.

When Nabaat finally released her from the bracelets locking her magic away, Lightning reached out and seized her magic with everything she had. The resulting shock wave of power shattered the shadows that bound her, and the world was a blur as she ran. 

She tried to ignore the agony and the exhaustion, the way the sheer volume of magic she was handling ate at her mind. Inside her, the clock continued the countdown to oblivion, and she felt her suit begin to burn and shred as she went faster.

Lightning clenched her teeth, her thoughts fraying alarmingly. 

_Just a little longer._

###

Fang watched Lightning vanish in a blur of momentum and a boom of sound, her shoulders sagging for just a moment as she slammed her fist into the ground, letting her lose herself for a moment in her grief and rage. Vanille. Lightning. Could she save _neither?_

"I'll kill you." The words came out as a harsh growl, and Fang's shoulder burned as she forced herself to her feet - maybe it was her own surging power, maybe it was because Barthandelus _let_ her. It was too damn late anyway for her to help either of them, and she was sick of the games. "What the hell do you _want_ from me, if you knew the truth the whole damn time?"

_"O piteous Wanderer, Ragnarok. Make of this day a brave epoch. Deliver the Divine, Ragnarok."_

Fang felt her blood run cold at that answer, and she clenched her teeth hard. Enough was enough, and Fang found she didn't care anymore. She advanced on him, feeling like the brand on her shoulder was throbbing. He cast Fang a contemptuous look, as if she continued to disappoint him. She drew harder on her magic, feeling it burn through her veins and roar in her ears. It was dizzying heat and ice-cold awareness, both at once, and she wavered on the edge of an abyss in her mind.

"You'll be dead at my hands before I _ever_ break for you!" Fang roared, the wind storming around her as she reached out a hand for Barthandelus, and then she saw something flicker out of the corner of her eye.

Black, red and gold blurred behind Barthandelus, seemingly composed only of blood, smoke and icy fury, and suddenly the abyss in Fang's mind vanished. She stumbled back with a ragged gasp, watching Barthandelus' eyes widen in shock as something familiar snapped around his neck before the thing blurred onwards as if unable to stop. But that wasn't enough to stop him, just wearing the collar was only half of it all -

Barthandelus's expression twisted into one of boundless rage, as he looked across the ruined city and at something over Fang's shoulder. His teeth bared as his staff whipped up and the gems flashed hot - and then he choked, falling to his knees and clutching at the band of metal around his throat. Fang stared over her shoulder, feeling herself smile in wonder and disbelief. Vanille stood in the rubble, her hand outstretched. The side of her face was all bloody, her hair had fallen free from its ties and she was leaning heavily on Alexander - but she was _alive._

Fang didn't hesitate, and she ran forward. She swept her sister up in a huge hug, squeezing Vanille until she protested that she could no longer breath, and with a laugh Fang then set her gently on her feet.

 _Thank Etro..._ Fang thought in relief, before nodding to Alexander and sharing a smile with him. 

"We did it," Alexander said softly, his voice seeming to carry in the sudden quiet after the battle, and Fang looked around.

Nabaat was long gone - damn _lucky_ for her. Fang spat blood off to the side, barely able to straighten but standing nonetheless. Her breath caught as she looked down at the place where Lightning's suppressors had fallen to the ground after Nabaat had removed them. They were gone, and fear seized Fang. 

Had Nabaat taken them? 

Fang started to run, ignoring Vanille's cries and Hope's calls and struggling blindly through the rubble. She almost tripped and fell, but she forced herself onwards, looking desperately for black, red and gold, listening for explosions - tasting the air for smoke. She felt ill with panic, and then she spotted Lightning.

Half-buried under a caved-in building, Lightning was motionless. Fang cursed and closed the distance quickly, hissing under her breath as her knees nearly gave out on her. She knelt on the ground next to Lightning, and for a moment she lost the courage to touch the other woman, to find out if Lightning still lived. The memory of Ramuh's ashes pouring through her fingers was too vivid, and Fang swallowed.

The black, red and gold speed suit was scorched and burned right through in some places, the flesh under it red and raw but warm. Lightning twitched as Fang turned her over, and Fang let out her baited breath as she caught a flash of the gold bracelets on her wrists. She must have grabbed them on the way past. The relief was dizzying, and Fang laughed wearily.

Lightning cracked an eye open, and her expression looked _victorious_ in spite of all the damage and the frightening gauntness to her features. Fang shivered as she met the other woman's gaze squarely, because it wasn't over yet. Lightning needed treatment or _something_ and taking out Barthandelus had cost her dearly.

_Don't die on me, Light._

"We... We need to talk." Lightning's breath was shallow, and she smiled at Fang - Etro, Fang never imagined Light would ever smile in her direction again - before passing out.

"Yeah," Fang told her quietly, as Vanille sagged onto the ruins beside them, and Snow, Sazh and Hope approached. "We're long over-due our chat."

###

The battered and bruised group of Defenders slowly picked their way through the destroyed Eden downtown district and over to where Alexander had left their airship. Frost Giant had taken mercy on Fang's more extensive injuries - having fought Nabaat, stopped an out-of-control speedster and then having gone toe-to-toe with Barthandelus really took it out of you - and was carrying Lightning in his arms. Fang took it upon herself to hang around him and snap at him when she felt he wasn't being careful enough, much to Frost Giant's despair and Geogirl's laughter. 

It felt like old times, like she was a part of the team again, even if a good part of Fang was still worried about Lightning's welfare. It felt like things had a chance of going back to _normal,_ and for the short trip back to the airship, she actually dared to hope.

When they came into view of the airship, Fang's heart sank. Commissioner Yaag Rosch was standing in front of the airship, and worse, he was accompanied by a full team of ECPD anti-elemental combatants - the elite - all with their guns trained on the approaching Defenders.

She heard Frost Giant swear under his breath and saw Firefly raise a hand to halt the rest of the Defenders. 

"Commissioner. We've apprehended the supervillain Barthandelus, and your men should find him waiting in the wreckage back there." Firefly's voice was mild, and deliberately so. 

Fang's eyes narrowed as Rosch shook his head, his face grim. Rosch's eyes grazed over her, and as Fang tensed, the anti-elemental team trained their weapons on her, as if they were ready and willing to riddle her hide with bullets. She didn't think they were kidding around, either.

"We will take care of it, however... There remains one last pressing issue. We have come to arrest the superhero known as 'Highwind'. Stand aside, all of you, and allow justice to prevail."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Final chapter is up next, and that should conclude the story arc of Lightning's rogue powers and Fang's defection to Barthandelus. On from that... who knows?


	7. Calm Following the Storm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fang's actions have consequences, and she's always been prepared for them.

Fang froze, glaring at Rosch as the ECPD elite began to surround the Defenders. She wondered what would happen if the other Defenders put up a fight - would they find themselves on the wrong side of Rosch's wrath too? Fang knew that the others _would_ protest her arrest, especially if Alexander and Geogirl had told them the truth. 

Fang's jaw firmed stubbornly. She'd known the cost when she'd jumped into this shitfest, and there was no need for her friends to pay her price.

Geogirl gasped as Fang stepped forward and away from the Defenders. Behind her, Fang heard Frost Giant give a low growl, and the scuff of debris as he laid Lightning on the ground, under Hope's care. He could do whatever he wanted - it would make little difference.

Fang raised her hands as the ECPD elite trained their weapons on her, letting them know she wasn't a threat. Keeping her face impassive, Fang allowed the nearest of the ECPD elite to seize her arms roughly and begin to lead her towards Rosch.

"Damn it, this is _wrong,"_ Fang heard Frost Giant snarl, and shattered concrete crunched under his boots as he stalked forward. She felt each of the elite holding her arms tense up, as if they expected a fight from the self-proclaimed protector of Eden City.

"Don't," Fang said to Frost Giant softly, even if she couldn't bring herself to turn and look at him. She laughed softly under her breath as he continued resolutely forward, and she shook her head wearily. Of course _he_ wouldn't leave well enough alone, even when she'd made her choice clear to the rest of them.

"It was _not_ her fault!" Frost Giant told them, and from his place a few paces ahead of her, Fang watched Rosch's eyes narrow. 

"How so? Did Barthandelus hold a gun to Highwind's head and force her to cause the explosion at the Bodhum District Prison? Did she not rob and terrorise the staff at Luca Engineering? Did Ramuh simply burn up on his own?" Rosch's lip curled as he looked Fang up and down, judging her for her actions and finding her wanting. She looked off to the side, refusing to accept his judgement, or regret her actions. "Please. If there is more to this case, I would hear it."

Frost Giant slammed his fist into his open palm, suddenly searching around in his pockets vigorously. After a few moments of awkwardness and quiet curses muttered from under his breath, Frost Giant withdrew a segmented, black metal band from one of his belt pouches. 

It had to have been the one that Barthandelus had snapped on his wrist, one that Vanille had removed not five minutes prior to this confrontation. Fang wondered what it was that he thought he was doing. Didn't he understand the role Fang had played in the creation of those devices?

"You see this thing?" Frost Giant held it up in the air, so that the metal glinted in the afternoon sunlight. His voice was loud and pitched to carry on the still air. "Barthandelus made it, all to control and eliminate the Defenders."

Out of the corner of her eye, Fang saw movement. Reporters, cameramen and photographers, all looking for a story. Fang's jaw tightened. _What game are you playing, Snow?_

"These bands were created by Barthandelus to _hurt_ us and force us down! When we arrived on the scene, Highwind was wearing one!" Frost Giant strode forward and unceremoniously thrust the circle of metal into Rosch's hands. "We got rid of it, and then she was free to fight on _our_ side."

"...you are telling me that Barthandelus had a role in Highwind's actions over the past few weeks?" Rosch's face was expressionless as he turned the device over in his hands, as if trying to divine the material's secrets by sight alone. His voice was low, telling Fang that he was well aware of the slew of reporters being held back by more of ECPD's regular cops.

Frost Giant was silent as Rosch looked up from the collar. Fang could almost see the emotions warring inside Frost Giant - the desire to tell the full truth, consequences be damned. The urge to yell and solve the problem with his fists. The knowledge that if he didn't play his words carefully, he'd cross that ever-murky line between right and wrong. He might not be outright _lying,_ but the omission of certain facts...

 _What the hell is he doing?_ Fang stayed her tongue, caught somewhere between horror and admiration because she would _never_ have thought it of Frost Giant. _There goes his moral high ground in our next argument._

From the looks of his grim expression, though, Yaag Rosch was not buying it. For a moment there was silence as he held out the collar for one of his lackeys to store in a small, plastic bag. Fang tried not to shift about and draw attention to herself, unwilling to press the luck the Lady had given her.

"How, then, did Barthandelus leash her whilst he had been incarcerated?" Rosch asked finally, and Fang saw Frost Giant's resolute expression flicker uncertainly. The pair of elite holding onto Fang's arms tightened their grip, and when Fang was certain that the gig was up, Firefly stepped forwards to fill the void. 

"You know that he has his instruments and methods, even when locked up tight. Jihl Nabaat, for a start. She was deeply buried in this one. Mind-slavery for Barthandelus certainly isn't the strangest thing we've had to deal with, considering." Firefly's voice was even and mild, a steady rebuke from an old-school hero - he had probably seen it all.

Rosch was silent, his eyes cutting across to her. Fang shot him a nasty smirk and then looked away, more concerned with the growing media attention and the delay in getting Lightning the treatment she needed. Playing games with Rosch was beneath her at this point.

"Highwind was just as much as a victim of it all as we nearly were," Frost Giant said, crossing his arms against his huge chest. In spite of his smile and the battle damage on his hooded trench coat, he still cut a threatening figure. "I _know_ she didn't want to do the things she did under the command of Barthandelus, but what matters is she fought and came through for us when it mattered."

"And of your speedster's actions this afternoon?" Rosch's eyes flickered down to Lightning, and Fang felt a flare of raw anger. She would not see Lightning saved, only to have her dragged into the quagmire Fang had made of her own life.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a muscle twitch in Frost Giant's jaw as he openly glared at Rosch.

"The same."

It was a bald-faced lie, when the rest of them had been half-truths. How badly did Frost Giant want to protect them all? 

Rosch looked as if he knew the lie for what it was, too. Frost Giant had drawn the line in the sand with that statement, and it was clear to the Commissioner that the Defenders would take down the ECPD itself, if that was where this standoff led. After the violence of that afternoon, the narrow defeat of Barthandelus and the growing number of civilians in the area, any outbreak of fighting would end... Messily.

Fang watched Rosch consider his options, wondering what path the man would pick. 

"We will need further analysis of this device, to allow us to determine that the effects are as you claim." Rosch's voice was loud and clear, and he nodded sharply to the elites holding Fang's arms. "Until then, I will release Highwind into the custody of the Defenders."

Frost Giant's face broke into a brilliant grin as the elite shoved Fang back toward where he and the Defenders stood, and he moved forward catch Fang as she stumbled from her injuries. She felt the adrenaline and energy flee her, leaving her only with a bone-deep exhaustion as she allowed Frost Giant to steady her.

"You have been given a reprieve. Do not think our investigation into the matter is over," Rosch told the Defenders, his voice much lower as he turned to leave. "Or that the actions of a Defender will be so easily forgiven by the citizens of Eden, be it this time or the next. You operate here because the civilian council allows it. Cross too many lines, and I will be among the first to stand and bring you to justice."

With that last promise, Rosch led the ECPD elite away from the Defenders, leaving the group of heroes alone to begin to lick their wounds and escape the fury of the approaching media. 

###

The ride back to the Defender HQ was a short one, but quick as it was, it still gave Fang too much time to think. She hadn't been there in a long time, not since the night Ramuh had exploded in fire before her eyes and she'd gone to Hope in blind terror of it happening to Lightning.

Fang looked down at Lightning's slack, thin face as she settled on the floor next to the stretcher aboard the Defender airship. Before she could help herself, Fang reached out to pull back Lightning's scorched and frayed cowl, feeling her heart clench as she remembered that Lightning likely still wouldn't want anything to do with her. Resting her head back against the cool metal of the airship's wall, Fang breathed out slowly. 

Could she have come out of this mess better? Undoubtedly. Plans weren't her forte, but things had been so desperate back then that she didn't have _time_ to wait on a plan from Hope. 

She'd jumped in with Barthandelus, heedless of her own safety and disregarding her future. She hadn't expected to come out the other side alive, let alone with the Defenders rallying around her. Now she was confronted with the almost frightening idea of continuing on, which meant Etro only knew _what_ for her uncertain relationship with Lightning. 

"I can't believe that you're all _fine_ with the idea of lying to Rosch to save my hide," Fang said loudly, to nobody in particular as she tried to get her mind off of Lightning and how she'd destroyed the weak but deeply satisfying bond between them.

"Oh, don't worry," Frost Giant said cheerfully, from where he was strapped into one of the seats at the airship's helm. "You three have a hell of a lot of talking to do about everything - Ramuh, Barthandelus and those devices - and you'd better be doing it super fast. You are not in the clear." 

Fang laughed softly, shaking her head. 

"But," Frost Giant continued, shooting her a grin from over his shoulder. "If not for you, Lightning... She'd be dead now. I don't know what went wrong with her, or what you've had to do to stop it... But sending you to prison for saving the life of one of our own? Not my idea of a 'thank you', let's just say that. The Defenders are _family._ We've got your back."

Fang felt the corners of her mouth turn upward in a reluctant smile. "Even if that means flouting the law?"

Frost Giant was quiet for a long moment, and to her left, Firefly shrugged.

"Sometimes, 'justice' doesn't mean the 'law'. If Rosch finds he has a problem..." Firefly trailed off, looking at he demonic gas mask in his lap.

"He knows where to find us," Alexander added from his place at the airship's control panel, looking tired but relieved that it had all worked itself out for the while. Fang could hardly believe it herself - it felt so surreal sitting there, with her family all round her and at Lightning's side.

As the camoflaged airship banked and began its descent down to HQ, Fang closed her eyes and felt her smile grow.

###

Lightning awoke with a ragged gasp, and as her eyes shot open and she stared around the darkened hospital room, for one terrifying moment of disorientation, she thought that her magic had gone rogue again. The memory of the sensation - burning, exhaustion, static, helplessness - clung to her mind like cobwebs, and she pushed herself up onto her elbows. Lightning's body shook with a deep weariness that seemed to go right down to her bones, and she tilted her head back, groaning. 

The bracelets on her wrists were cold and hampered her movements irritatingly, and Lightning held one up to eye level, scowling. She'd only put them back on because they were the only thing that had made the awful pain stop, but there was a _deadness_ in her head and body whenever she wore them that almost felt as bad. It was like someone had gone in and carved her elemental stone right out of her body, and she brushed the mark above her heart to reassure herself that it hadn't actually happened. 

Even those small movements felt exhausting, and feeling a little light-headed, Lightning let her head fall back against the pillow. She debated calling for a nurse as her stomach growled dangerously, but she was saved the trouble when the door to her room swung open. Lightning squinted against the white light, raising her hand to shield her sore eyes. 

"Light?" Snow asked quietly as he shut the door behind him, and in the dim light, she could see him pull back his fur-lined hood and pull his goggles up to sit on his forehead. 

"I -" Lightning paused, surprised at how hoarse her voice sounded. She closed her eyes for a moment, pinching the bridge of her nose as she head Snow sink into the chair at her bedside. "I really hope you have some information for me. What's happening out there? How long have I been out?"

"About a day," Snow said, leaning on his elbow. The old hospital chair groaned in protest under his weight, and he straightened hurriedly. "As for Barthandelus..."

"And Highwind." Lightning exhaled sharply. She might as well get all of the worst news first.

"Right." Snow laughed at little at that, and she shot him a narrow look. "Well. The ECPD rocked up after you got the collar around Barthandelus' neck, and that's where they found him. Ranting about his usual Maker garbage, a bit of 'if it weren't for those meddling kids', you know how he is."

Lightning wished she could find the humour in it. 

"So, I leashed him, the same way he wanted to leash us." That was the simple way of putting it, though that raised a few questions. "Do we know where he got such technology? If one villain has it, how soon do the rest of them follow?" 

Snow _winced._

"Well," he said, drawing the word out before coughing awkwardly into his fist. "It was Highwind. Indirectly."

Lightning's fists tightened in the itchy hospital blankets, and her jaw clenched. "Of course it was."

 _"Indirectly._ She might have been the one who gave him the idea but-" Snow started, but Lightning cut him off, bristling in anger.

"She helped him _build_ it." Lightning felt rawness swell up in her chest, and she swallowed, hard. 

"To save _you._ Look, we've talked with her." Snow sighed, rubbing his temples with his gloved fingers, looking very tired. "She said she went to go visit Ramuh, during that week you were under! The guy exploded in fire - same thing that would have happened to you, if she hadn't found a way to make those things on your wrists. We might have gotten into a load of shit with Barthandelus, but without her? You'd be dead and I'm not about to have another Farron's blood on my hands, not when there's a _choice."_

"Do _not_ bring Serah up and use her as a weapon against me," Lightning hissed, her anger spiking. She kept expecting to feel static rise across her skin, but instead she only felt empty of power. "And I will not be _blamed_ for Fang going rogue. It was her own goddamn choice."

She was hurting so badly though, and that rawness rising in her throat was threatening to overwhelm her. She forced the emotion back, desperate to keep a level head.

"Yeah. It _was_ her choice. If the one _I_ loved was in danger, I'd have done the same." Snow's voice was quiet, but full of conviction as he clenched his hands into fists. "I would have stopped at nothing to save her."

"Choice _ends_ when other people get hurt, and there are laws for a reason. She's going to go to prison for her stint on the dark side -" Lightning cut herself off, feeling herself go cold as Snow's expression flickered. Oh Etro, what had she missed while she was under? "Talk. Now."

Snow was quiet for a long moment, and as the seconds ticked on, Lightning closed her eyes. So it was that bad, huh?

"I got Fang off the hook," Snow said, suddenly looking very tired as he flopped back in his chair again. "Rosch tried to arrest her, just after the fight with Barthandelus, and I talked him down." 

Lightning snorted softly to herself. That seemed highly unlikely, given how well she knew Commissioner Rosch. If he was gunning for Fang, he wouldn't rest until she was locked up in Bodhum District Prison, with all the supervillains and felons. 

"How?" Lightning asked finally, cutting him an unhappy look. 

Snow rubbed his face with his gloved hand, seeming even more reluctant to tell her everything. Never a good sign.

"I pled mind control for her. Said it was all Barthandelus."

"...you have got to be joking." Lightning felt a yawning pit of horror begin in her stomach, and for one sickening moment she thought the whole room spun. It was unbelievable, it was idiotic - it was dangerous. "You _lied_ to the man who allows us to operate in Eden? All he damn well asks is that we don't cross too many lines, and what Fang did -"

"We've already taken care of it all." Snow's voice was firm, and from the stubborn set to his jaw, Lightning wasn't going to be able to convince him of the sheer idiocy of his plan until it all blew up in his face. "Rosch might not like it, but he's allowed Highwind to stay in the custody of the Defenders while they investigate the claims. I've bought us time."

"If Rosch gets enough evidence of the truth..." Lightning breathed, shaking her head and still trying to comprehend the crate of C4 he'd dumped on her lap. "If the _media_ gets wind of it..."

Snow let out a long, ragged breath, the corners of his mouth turning upward. "Would it be any worse than them finding out Fang's genetic heritage?"

Every muscle in Lightning's body went rigid at that offhand statement. He was right - she'd done more than her fair share of withholding the truth from Eden City, but being careful with her words was not the same thing as outright lying to the Commissioner. 

"Genetics aren't destiny. There is no such thing as a fate you can't fight..." Lightning trailed off, pinching the bridge of her nose, feeling exhausted by the conversation. "Or, that's what I used to think, when it came to Fang."

"It's _still_ true. She might not be a damn paragon, but she's a hero. What happened... Trust me when I say this - without her, it would have ended a hell of a lot worse. For you, and for Eden." Snow rose slowly to his feet, smiling down at her. "I think we need to leave the Q'n'A there, 'cause you look like hell. Try to catch some rest - in the meantime, I got a team to run."

"Try not to cause too much trouble for me to clean up when I get back," Lightning scoffed, and then frowned. Had that rose been on her bedside table before? It was red, just like... Lightning swallowed unsteadily, blinking rapidly. "Snow. How soon can these... Things come off?"

Snow stopped just before the door, pulling his goggles down with a snap and raising his hood. 

"We have no idea. Maybe next week..." Snow laughed softly, sounding sad. "Maybe it'll be never. Vanille and Hope are still doing analysis on what's going on... We'll keep you posted."

Lightning didn't watch him leave, her teeth gritted so hard that her jaw hurt. The bracelets around her wrists felt heavy, like shackles. How the hell was she supposed to honour Serah's memory without being being able to use her magic? It was impossible. 

She was still alive, though, all thanks to Fang. 

Haltingly, Lightning reached out and took a hold of the long-stemmed rose. Her hands trembled from exhaustion as she held it up to her face. She hadn't received one recently, but each time it had meant the same thing. 

_Fang. Who the hell am I to judge Snow, when I still feel this way? When I won't go forward with the truth because I can't stand the idea of losing her, even after she hurt all those people?_

_What would Serah think?_

###

Lightning was released from Eden North Hospital a day or so after Snow's visit. After having finally woken up from her exhausted coma, she'd quickly replenished her energy reserves with the high-calorie bars Hope had formulated for her. 

Lightning hadn't realised how slow she'd been to recover from her use of magic, or that she'd been burning through so much even at rest. With the bracelets that Vanille had constructed from Barthandelus' torture devices, it was easier and she grew stronger with each passing day. 

Replenishing her lost energy and gaining back body weight didn't help with the raw burns on her arms and torso, though, with her minor healing factor held at ransom behind the same bracelets that were saving her life. Lightning had been given strict instructions from the doctor to protect the burns and to apply some sort of foul-smelling cream to them twice a day. The burns pulled and stung, proving themselves to be a major distraction as she gathered her sparse possessions into a rucksack. 

Snow had taken Lightning's damaged suit at some point while she'd been out cold. Somebody must have been to her apartment to get the casuals that she wore now - it could have been any of the other Defenders, really. Finally done with her preparations, Lightning pulled on her old pair of sunglasses and pulled up her hood. While the staff of North Eden Hospital could be trusted to be discreet - as they had countless times before - it never hurt to take precautions. 

Lightning - Claire - slipped out one of the side doors with her rucksack tossed over her shoulder, still feeling a little weak and light-headed from her medication but determined to make it to the road without needing to stop for a breather. Snow had said that he or Hope would be there to pick her up, and as Claire scanned the busy street, she couldn't spot either of them. 

Shrugging and feeling just a little irritable - Snow _had_ said that he would send somebody - Claire made her way toward the taxi bays to the left of the hospital's entrance. There was some idiot parked on a motorbike in one of the taxi bays, and Claire's annoyance spiked as her hands curled automatically into fists. 

It took a great deal of effort to uncurl them, and she counted to ten under her breath as she approached. She was in no condition to get into a major argument. It was best that she ignored it, galling as it was. 

The idiot seated on the bike looked up as Claire walked by, expression unreadable under the darkened helmet, and Claire watched the rider dismount in a smooth, graceful motion. The rider was dressed in a pair of old jeans, a tshirt and a battered old jacket that had to be second hand, but even the neck-to-toe covering couldn't disguise the raw power of the iron muscles underneath.

 _Oh._ Claire's eyes narrowed as the rider pulled her helmet off and tucked the battered thing under her arm. _Of course it would be you._

Fang looked recovered from her stint as Barthandelus' lackey and the subsequent fight in downtown Eden, even if she had the beginnings of dark circles under her eyes. Had Fang been having some sleepless nights over what she'd done? Claire frankly hoped that she _was,_ though the thought lacked venom now.

Claire turned away from Fang with a scoff, looking toward the taxi rank. She had no idea what Snow thought he was doing, but this was a surprise she could have done without. 

"Li - _Claire,_ just slow down -" Fang called from behind her, and Claire heard boots scuff loudly on the concrete as the woman circled around her. Claire narrowed her eyes, looking Fang up and down. Irritatingly, Fang held out her hands wide - a gesture of peace and openness that made Claire's chest hurt.

"Claire, please. Let me take you back to your place, and..." Fang's lips quirked for a moment in a fleeting, painful smile. "Maybe then we can have our discussion. Just like you said you wanted." 

Claire felt as though the seconds dragged on as she met Fang's eyes, her jaw clenched as she considered the other woman's proposition. Fang had broken the law and hurt innocent people - the fact that it had been for Claire's sake only made that worse. But disturbingly, that didn't change how Claire felt, nor the fact that she'd carefully stowed the red rose in her rucksack. 

What kind of hero was she?

_A benched one. One that doesn't give a damn about the law, not when it comes to the ones I love._

Claire felt herself nod, the action halting and shaky, and she felt that rawness well up in her throat again as Fang smiled at her, as though she was relieved. She allowed Fang to take the rucksack from her numb fingers and strap it onto the back of her bike, feeling as though it was a dream. 

A week ago, she would have apprehended Fang on sight. A week ago, she'd thought that Fang was lost to Barthandelus. It was odd, to have Fang back so entirely, and Claire hadn't realised how fiercely she'd missed Fang when she'd been gone. It was the curve of her lips when she smiled, the way she looked at Claire through her dark bangs, the expressive body language that seemed so... 

Claire swallowed, staying silent as she sat on the bike behind Fang, reluctantly placing her arms around the other woman's waist as she heard Fang start up the bike. She took a steadying breath, inhaling the smell of old leather and Fang's shampoo in a dizzying combination. 

_Etro, get a hold of yourself._

The feel of the wind on her face, as Fang drove them through the streets of Eden, washed her worries away in a rush of adrenaline. The bracelets around her wrists were tight and cold, though, and a reminder that she would not get to experience the rush of speed or magic for - maybe - a very long time. 

###

Fang arrived out the front of Claire's - Etro, it was always so hard to refrain from calling her Lightning when most of Fang's memories were of her in that suit - apartment block all too quickly. She felt Claire slide out from behind her with a quickness that hurt a little, and the sudden lack of Claire's warm body left Fang feeling a little cold. 

She signed a little as she removed her helmet, tilting her head and watching Claire immediately begin to fumble with the ties holding her rucksack on the back of the bike. She still hadn't said a word to Fang, either, and that lovely trend continued as Fang assisted her. 

Fang shot her another look as she passed the bag over, pressing it gently into Claire's hands. Claire looked a little flushed from the ride, her spikes slightly wind-blown - if not for the partially-healed scratch on her cheek, the bandages around her necks and wrists and the fact that she was still missing a quarter of her normal body weight, she would have been the most beautiful thing Fang had seen in a long time. 

 _She still is,_ Fang decided as her chest began to ache. All she wanted to do was to take Claire in her arms and beg for things to be okay between them again, even if Fang would never regret her actions in moving to save Claire's life. 

It was funny in a sad and fucked up way - before the incident with Ramuh, Fang had been unsure of how she felt, or if she should act on her deep attraction to Lightning. After everything she'd been through since, she was now more certain than ever of Claire and the fact that she wanted _more_ \- but that because of her actions, Claire would not stand for it. 

"So," Fang said, trying to keep her voice light and conversational, and almost succeeding. "Home sweet home."

"Yeah." Claire's voice was clipped and cooly professional as she looked up at the apartment block. "Thanks for the ride." 

"Not a problem. We do need to talk, though." Fang didn't look away as Claire snorted softly and started back toward the apartment's wide, wooden door. Her heart sank a little, and she felt herself grit her teeth as she looked down at the helmet in her hands. She'd been an idiot to convince Snow to let her take Claire back home - as eager as Fang was to clear the air between them, Claire needed more time.

"You coming or not?" 

Fang looked up with a start, looking up to where Claire stood at the doorway, hand on hip, _waiting._ She felt a flood of both relief and dread, and she took the stairs two at a time to draw level with Claire. The other woman gave her a sidelong look, before pushing her way inside the building and jerking her head for Fang to follow along. 

When they arrived in Claire's small, sparsely decorated apartment, Fang's feeling of dread increased tenfold as she watched Claire dump her rucksack on the closest sofa. She looked a bit paler now, possibly a little winded by the exertion, and Fang saw a flash of gold from under the cuffs of Claire's jacket. It was good that she was wearing them, but she knew how much Claire loved making a difference. 

It was that obsession with helping others that had led them both down this path, and Fang exhaled softly. 

"You wanted to talk?" Claire asked, from across the room. The distance between them was yawning all of a sudden, and Fang swallowed her worry and tried to smile.

"I figured I had a little explaining to do," Fang said, walking slowly forward until she could lean against the back of the closest sofa. 

"You're a bit late. Snow already told me most of what happened, and why." Claire's voice was sharp, unforgiving, and she crossed her arms in front of her chest as she paced back and forth. "But go on, _talk._ Maybe talk about your idiocy in trusting a psychopath like Barthandelus. Maybe tell me about all the laws you broke, the damage you did, and the people you killed at Bodhum Prison when they got in your way."

Claire was angry, as expected. Fang watched her from over her shoulder, trying not to let the other woman's anger get to her. Come to think of it, there was a lot less heat to Claire's words than Fang had expected...

"I don't get why you didn't come and _talk_ to me in the first place! I don't get why you thought _betraying me_ was the best option." The words were raw and a little hoarse, and Fang looked down at her hands.

"To be fair, emotional maturity isn't exactly in great abundance when we _both_ run around Eden dressed as superheroes... But you always made such a _big_ show of saying that you were the job, that it was all you had, and that you could _never_ break your vow to Serah's memory." Fang's eyes narrowed, and she looked up at Claire, meeting her blue eyes confidently. "What exactly did you say to Hope when he suggested you take it easy?"

Even from across the room, Fang could see the way Claire's entire body went rigid.

"I stopped when Snow talked to me about it," Claire said in a low, harsh voice, and Fang wondered if she'd hit a nerve.

Fang snorted softly, unamused by the usual dance now. "For how long?"

She watched Claire frown at that question, as if taken by surprise. "What?"

"How long did you stop for?" Fang tilted her head, giving Lightning a sideways look through her bangs and watching the other woman resume her frustrated pacing. "A handful of days?"

"Only because I saw Vanille - only because you _both_ turned traitor." Claire glared at Fang, her hands clenching into fists as she rounded on Fang, angry as a cat. "I had to pursue. You put me in that position."

Fang laughed softly, shaking her head. 

"I know you better than that. If it hadn't been pursuing Vanille or I, it would have been some other villain or petty criminal." Fang smiled slightly, trying to let it take the edge off her words. "I know how you tick, and I know how you can't let things go. Just like me, really."

All the way back in the beginning, when Fang and Vanille had not even been offered a place on the Defenders team, that Lightning's single-minded focus and dedication had been one of the things to have made Fang sit up and pay attention to the unknown speedster. 

That seemed to have been the right thing to say, because Claire's expression had softened from the icy, angry mask she'd been wearing since she'd first seen Fang. She looked to the side, and then out the window and into the busy Eden streets below. 

"No matter what Snow told Rosch, you weren't mind-controlled. We're essentially aiding a known criminal by protecting you, and interfering with the course of justice. Snow is..." Fang heard Claire sigh, watched her shake her head and cross her arms again. "He's insane. If they catch us in this lie, there will be hell to pay."

"Sometimes," Fang said slowly, moving out from behind the couch and sitting on it. Etro, she hadn't meant to tell anyone this, but here it was. "Sometimes, there are bad choices all around, and you have to take what little good from a situation as you can get. I - I didn't intend on coming back, Light."

She watched Claire's eyes narrow, but there was no backing out.

"With what I did? There was no way I believed I could come back. I thought I'd spend my life on the run... Or I'd turn myself in. I didn't make my choice in this lightly - I would save you, and see my actions through to their end. Whatever end that would have been."

"Death. Life in prison. _Fang -"_ Claire looked alarmed, and Fang felt a spike of irritation.

"Don't try to tell me you aren't worth anything other than my damnedest. You weren't there when Ramuh damn-well exploded in fire. His magic turned on him, right in front of my eyes. He was writhing on the ground, _burning_ and screaming, and nothing I did stopped the fire. It wasn't just _fire,_ it was his own damn magic turning on him and eating him alive. It was..." Fang swallowed, the memory of smoke and ash in her nose and mouth making her feel ill. Claire was watching her, her expression _concerned._

"He was nothing but charcoal by the time I left. And then I remembered you, lying like a vegetable in a damn hospital bed, with your magic growing at some incredible rate. So I went to Hope, who didn't have the answer. There was no other choice, nobody who knew magic better than Barthandelus, and I would rather make a deal with the devil and burn in hell forever than lose someone I love." 

Claire was quiet for a long moment as she stared out the window, digesting what Fang had told her. Fang would never regret her actions, not when it had saved Claire's life, but that was because she meant so much. 

"I'm still not sure what to think." Claire's voice was soft and raw with old hurt, and she still wasn't looking at Fang. "Of you, or of the past few weeks."

"No one can make that choice but you." Fang rose to her feet, slowly crossing the room to lean on the windowsill next to Lightning. Claire. She could make out the bandages under Claire's tshirt and jacket, around her wrists and neck. Fang had been so close to failure... "For what it's worth, I know what I think of you. Have for a while."

Claire shot her an irritated look. "Don't think you can sweet-talk your way back into my good graces."

Fang felt herself smile at that remark, and Etro if it didn't feel achingly normal. Except for the burns on Claire's body, the way her magic had wasted away so much muscle mass, the fact that there were those bracelets on her wrists, and all that treachery and attempted murder left behind them. 

Claire sucked in a ragged breath, shaking her head sharply as she looked away from Fang. "You betrayed me, all of us! How can I just-?" 

Fang caught her hand easily, resting her forehead against Claire's, feeling the other woman twitch at the sudden closeness. Frankly, Claire smelled like a hospital but that wasn't exactly _her_ fault, and she was still _Claire._ Lightning. It was completely on auto-pilot that Fang pressed her lips against Claire's, savouring the smooth softness of them as she felt Claire's breath catch. 

Before, Fang had never been this daring, or so sure of what it was she wanted from Claire. But Claire was kissing her back, her hands taking a hold of Fang's open collar with a grip that seemed to tremble a little. Fang brushed her cheek and throat, careful of the old cuts, bruises and raw burns, pressing one more lingering kiss against Claire's lips before withdrawing slightly.

"I'm sorry for putting you through all of this," Fang murmured, and Claire looked at her for a moment, as if still torn between anger and something a lot gentler. 

Suddenly Claire wrapped her arms around Fang's neck and shoulders, her grip fierce and strong in spite of the pain from her burns, and Fang carefully slipped her arms around Claire's waist, holding her close and just letting Claire breathe and regain her sense of equilibrium.

"You want to get something to eat?" Claire asked in the quiet of the apartment, and Fang looked down at her with a small smile. 

"...sure." That small smile she'd allowed herself was quickly becoming far too much like a grin, but Fang couldn't find it in herself to care all that much when Claire was smiling too. Fang graciously moved out of the way as Claire nodded at the door, and as she moved she offered Claire a hand that the woman snorted and ignored. 

"You're buying." Claire's voice was wry as Fang opened the door for her, and Fang shrugged easily, feeling far too elated to care about things like that.

"I suppose I owe that to you," Fang replied, laughing a little as Claire rolled her eyes. 

"Damn right you do."

It was too early to tell, but... maybe things were going to be okay between them, after all. Fang followed Claire out of the apartment, thrusting her hands in her jacket pocket and silently vowing to herself to make the best of the second chance that she'd been given.

###

_**Transcipt of news reel** _

_This is Shelinda reporting live from downtown Eden, where we are witnessing a ferocious confrontation between the Defenders and the supervillain Barthandelus. It looks like - no, it - it looks as if the ex-Defender Highwind is now fighting on the side of the Defenders once more! Some device was removed from around Highwind's neck - this is just speculation, but it could be that Highwind was suffering from some sort of mind-control..._

###

_**Charges Against Highwind Dropped as Commissioner Backs Down** _

_In last night's press conference out front of the ECPD headquarters, ECPD Commissioner Yaag Rosch has formally dropped the charges laid against ex-Defender Highwind, who yesterday assisted the Defenders in the recapture of supervillain Barthandelus._

_"After consulting with the Defenders, the ECPD believes that it is necessary for us to drop the charges against the hero known as Highwind, pending further inquiry into the matter," Rosch said. "We will be looking into the information that has now been brought to our attention. It is not our wish to hold the Defenders responsible for matters beyond their control."_

_The statements come weeks after the Bodhum Distrct Prison explosion, which took the lives of three inmates and injured dozens more. Highwind was held responsible for the attack and the subsequent attacks on both Luca Engineering and Eden City Museum, however if initial reports are to be believed, Highwind was under the control of Barthandelus._

_CONTINUED ON PAGE 5_

###

_**How far is too far? (excerpt from an have-your-say piece)** _

_[The Defenders] have been responsible for countless millions in damage to property, have rendered thousands homeless, have been indirectly responsible for the deaths of dozens while they wage their private war with the so-called supervillains._

_Now they're getting off again after having burned our Museum to the ground and razed downtown Eden, and it's all excused by 'mind-control'? Give me a break. When are the people of this city going to take notes from Fynn City and say 'no more' to these vigilantes?_

###

_**Heroes Among Us - Defenders Assist in Clean-Up of Downtown Eden** _

_Clean-up has begun in earnest for the people of Eden City as authorities have given the all-clear for volunteers and workers to begin to restore the downtown district._

_Downtown Eden was wrecked in a brutal battle between escaped supervillain Barthandelus and the Defenders, and despite enormous pressure from the public, ECPD Commissioner Rosch has only today allowed volunteers and cleanup crews into the damaged areas._

_Volunteers were out in force, their numbers including Detective Claire Farron, the ECPD liaison for the Defenders._  

_"Of course the Defenders will be helping," Detective Farron said in an impromptu statement while assisting in the efforts. "All of them regret what damage was done in the course of apprehending Barthandelus - to Luca Engineering, the Museum, and Eden itself. They will, however, be doing so as private citizens and not as 'heroes'."_

_Detective Farron's comments come at a time when public support for the group is at an all-time low, but her statement has eased the concerns of victim advocacy groups..._

_CONTINUED ON PAGE 5_

###

Jihl Nabaat knew that she was a patient woman, far more-so than Barthandelus. She considered herself a far more dangerous an individual for that difference alone - when you took the time to know your enemies, understand your strengths, and look carefully at the cards in your hands and hidden in your sleeves, then not even Etro herself could stand in the way. 

And that, precisely, was the point. 

As she slipped back inside one of Barthandelus' many backup laboratories, Jihl felt nothing for her employer but contempt. He had been useful, and his goals had been admirable, but ultimately he had been far too unsubtle.

In his hurry to provoke and control Ragnarok, Barthandelus had been careless. Most damning of all, to Jihl's mind, was that with all of his power and notions of godhood, he failed to understand the fundamental nature of the human spirit. 

If you wished to tear someone down, you did not hammer at them with blunt-force blows and simply hope they would bow and break. If you wanted to invoke despair, you did not give them something to fight back against. 

In spite of the last operation's failure, it could not be said that the past month had been a total waste. Jihl had learned a great deal of information about the Defenders and Ragnarok - and she intended on making use of it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that is the last chapter done and dusted, folks. While there are still a hell of a lot of loose threads, they will be dealt with at some point in the future. For now, the story of Fang's betrayal is at an end, even if the repercussions of it will continue to haunt the heroes for a long time to come.
> 
> This fic was an absolute blast to write - it pretty much combined three of my favourite things, which are FFXIII, Fang/Lightning and superheroes, so you can tell I enjoyed myself immensely. I hope to do some additional stuff for this 'verse at in the future!
> 
> For now, I'd just like to thank every person who read along, kudos'd, bookmarked or commented this fic. You guys are all awesome, and I hope you enjoyed the ride.

**Author's Note:**

> If you'd like updates as to current projects or just want to chat, feel free to come visit me on my tumblr: [zerrat](http://zerrat.tumblr.com/) (personal) and [zerratwritesstuff](http://zerratwritesstuff.tumblr.com) (writing)!


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